The Lincolnshire Bird Club

Not that long ago i could do a local round trip of at least 8 little owls..but now none can be seen..
There are more leaves on the tree but i knew their perches but anyway ive read the adults are resident & dont wander far from the nest site so..do they actually leave & if so where are they likely to go..meaning do they travel far?

Hi Andy,
They are highly sedentary so should be in their traditional sites. They will probably be feeding young at the moment.

I too have noted a decline/desertion of local sites. Several 'traditional' sites between Louth and the coast no longer hold them

John

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Thankyou for the replies..
I visited two of the sites..(10 owls not 8 as i quoted) late afternoon & two owls just sat out in the open..one at each place..so good news..all i need now is for the kingfishers ive been watching to come back..without Stuart & John replying i maybe wouldnt of re-visited for a while so thanks again!

Lots of little owls about now..i found a new one the other night..always perched on same pole..
Thing is..ive been asked to age them..any tips on this please..all i know is the age of the young ones!

Hi Andy,
According to the BTO Identification Guide to European non-Passerines there are one or two features such as feather abrasion and presence of down on the tertials which would assist to age 1st winter if the bird was in the hand. It would appear that it is virtually impossible to age them in the field from summer onwards. Perhaps Alan Ball may have some more up to date criteria as he rings a large number during the breeding season.

The good news is that 2014 has been an excellent breeding year for Little Owls. Bob Sheppard and I have ringed more this year than in any previous year, with just over 200 ringed in Lincolnshire this year, including seven broods of 5, which are relatively rare (we've only found eight in 20 years previously)

Some books state that they can be aged by looking at the shape of the light central part of the crown feathers or on wear on tertials, but in our experience this is not reliable. Recently fledged birds appear greyer and somewhat fluffy, but after a few weeks of fledging, I don't think you could tell them in the field.

Alan