A Little Owl. Sitting in a niche of ivy. Roosting in a kind of evergreen eye.

In all that London mess I spy him.
Athene Noctua.
A Little Owl. Sitting in a niche of ivy.
Roosting in a kind of evergreen eye.
Right in front of me - perfectly scaled down.
A murderous, white and brown white-speckled miniture raptor.
10 feet from the raucous main road.
The owl twists his head 180 degrees.
Looks right at me.
Yellow eyed, blinking once.
Shuts his eyes.
I can't mistake the envy I feel.
The simplicity of this life.
I envy him.
I envy the owl his simple savage self.
His absence of self doubt.
He stares straight at me seeing all, but indifferent to it.
He doesn't envy anyone.
He doesn't want anything I've got.

Little Owl, Streatham Common

This afternoon in broad daylight, thanks to Carl Zeiss (binocular maker), I had the best view yet of the Little owl on Streatham Common, after a big absence, at least as far as my spotting goes (though my friend Andrew did say he'd seen the owl recently, in his usual spot). I've been looking regularly but not seeing him, but this afternoon every detail was crystal clear. The owl looked right at me, about ten feet away, then twisted his head to the left and nodded off, he was roosting in the gap between two ivy covered trees, he was only about four or five feet off the ground, but protected by bramble bushes;  he didn't seem bothered by the traffic noise or the raucous fun-fair sounds near by. I am so glad he is still here, looking so round, soft and healthy, what a great day for bird watching! Especially the raptors. I also saw a female black cap (mother red cap?) in the woods higher up on Streatham  common earlier, as well as a great spotted woodpecker, green finch, chaffinch and chiffchaffs, but the Little Owl is such a thrill for me to see, largely spotted because I've been scanning trees systematically, determined to find where he roosts - heartening to know patience pays off. My telephone pictures are terrible, one day I'll get a real camera, but I still think you can see an owl shape in the gap between the trees. I'm assuming he's a he, but have no evidence, he might be a she...he/she is perfect, a beautiful, dazzling bird, a gem, I don't know why I'm so mad about them, perhaps it's their miniature, perfectly scaled down owlishness, they are archetypes of mystery, wisdom, secretiveness, sleepy hunting marvels, they stare straight at me seeing all, but indifferent to it....

Male sparrowhawk on nest? Unlikely?

The bird walk on Tooting Common early this morning was rather too cold and damp, so We peeled off after two hours and went back to Bedford Wood to take another look at the sparrowhawk nest, this time it looked very much like the male was on it, but the information I have read suggests this is unlikely, who knows? It certainly looked like him up there, though whether there are eggs in the nest yet is another question, we saw the male and female earlier in a maginifcient tussle with a group of magpies, well away from the nest, the view of the male sideways on was particularly magnificent, he is a handsome, rufous bird, and looked much longer through my Carl Zeiss birthday binoculars. I've just read that they don't mate with the same male, contrary to anthropomorphic anecdote, the female  goes off after they've reared the young successfully, while he stays behind, the following season she will pick the best mate.

Below, this is Streatham Wood.

We saw the pair in Bedford Wood mating on the 5th of April. If the gestation period is 32-35 days and that mating was successful, then sparrowhawk birthday(s) should be between the 8th & the 11 th of  May. the RSPB says this:
"Three to six eggs are laid at two-day intervals during May. Incubation lasts for 32-35 days and the eggs hatch in succession over two or more days, so that the chicks are different sizes. The female helps the chicks to break out of their shell. They are covered in pure white short down, and their eyes are already partly open when they hatch. " (RSPB.org)
Earlier we saw a female sparrowhawk being mobbed by a crow near Dr Johnson Avenue, then , another view of a sparrowhawk, female I am sure, by the whiter underwings, diving onto a pigeon, I'm wondering if it was the same female who took the catch back to the male, then we saw the magpies fighting them for it back in Bedford Wood, all very exciting. We saw greenfinches, heard a willow warbler, saw a female black cap. There was speculation that three long eared owls were seen before in the cafe wood - this sounds improbable, but you never know I guess! What a sight that would be.
It looked like we saw the male on the nest, but both sexes have bars on their tail feathers and white spots on their backs, so it's hard to say, I thought it looked like the male.
Re the idea of a male sitting on the nest, the RSPB book does not rule out the male taking part although most of the nest work is done by the female, the RSPB site states:
"  The female has sole care of the eggs and young, while the males' role (from egg-laying through to fledging) is to provide all food required by the female and the chicks. The female will hunt as the chicks get older, but only if the male is unable to catch adequate food by himself." (RSPB.org)  I'm sure we are going to see the chicks quite clearly in another 12 or so days. 



RSPB.org on sparrowhawks:

Sparrowhawk wiggling on the nest, others hear and see first cuckoo

I saw the Sparrowhawk wiggling on the nest today, others heard and saw the first cuckoo on Tooting Bec Common in 25 years - in the Bedford wood! I realise how lucky I was to hear a cuckoo last year in Sydenham Hill woods and the year or so before in Norwood Grove, hope I hear and see one this year. It was a moody day today though I escaped a soaking...

 These two images of Bedford Wood were taken seconds apart.

Sparrowhawk in her nest, turtle in Tooting ....

No idea how this chap arrived on Tooting Common but he looked pretty happy sunbathing this afternoon, under his neck he has striking yellow stripes, I sensed an intelligence when I looked at him and spoke, he was definitely listening...earlier I clearly saw the female sparrowhawk sitting in her high nest.

Woldingham walk: roe deer, fox, kestrel, buzzards

A great walk in the Woldingham area, through the forested hilltops and across rolling fields reminiscent of Ravilious drawings, straight away we saw a very big healthy fox walking down from a birch wood across the vivid green fields above the railway line, we also saw and heard many pheasants, saw Buzzards, a beautiful red male kestrel, badger's mounds, mistle thrushes, and two herds of wild roe deer, the first group had two adults and a young one, the second had 8 deer including a couple of young ones, coming out of a wood then skipping away from us wagging their small tails very fast. Huge white gliders flew above the fields near Kenley. The blue-bells were out and there were carpets of wild garlic as far as the eye could see in places, though not flowered yet, we saw many butterflies - brimstones, orange tips, peacocks, no St Geoerge's mushrooms today, St Geoerge's day, but evidence of tattooed enthusiasts at East Croydon station and the cross of St George flying from van windows.  We saw hardly anyone else the whole day. This is lovely, quite dramatic countryside, one irritating aspect of it is the drone of the M25 from some of the Southern most high points of the circular walk. It's also astonishing to me to see such obvious affluence - side by side with purple UKIP signs, it's hard to understand what they imagine they are suffering from in a location which most people, I'm sure, would describe as an affluent paradise - everything looked so clean and perfect, the cars in the station car park were almost all top-of-the-range and new, the houses are vast and sparklingly well kept, there is no sign of material suffering here at all. So what is it all about? 

The day was hot, contrary to all forecasts, with perfect blue skies, an utterly perfect day of walking and soaking up sun and green fields and forests...I'll definitly come back here again.

Saw the female sparrowhawk on her nest

I saw the female sparrowhawk on her nest today in the Tooting woods, the male was close by keeping an eye out, what a great sight, hope to see sparrowhawk  chicks soon, saw a moorhen chick on the tooting pond earlier this week and the kestrel over Streatham common and the White House. A very poor picture below of the male sparrowhawk in a tree, the one below that was sunrise on the hop farm I went to two weeks ago..

Kestrel Streatham Common, Black cap Sydenham Hill Woods

"The kestrel hovering by day,

And the little owl that call at night,
Bid him be swift and keen as they,

As keen of ear, as swift of sight."

This was Julian Grenfall's 1915 battle poem, which I'm sure 'H is for Hawk' mentions, I remember, how, as a child, like Helen McDonald, I was fixated on Birds of Prey, but , unlike her, did not have the wit to actually find or fly them. But I couldn't bear the thought of losing them, the section in her book when she and White lose their Hawks is heartbreaking, it reminds me of the time my dog Trowbridge ran off from her lead on the common and into the middle of Streatham High road, it was streaming with traffic. there was something edible in the road which drew her right into it. I just held my head in my hands helplessly as somehow she dodged the traffic, and came back to me safely.

Sparrowhawk Tooting Bec Common, Kestrel, Streatham Common

My beautiful Carl Zeiss, cold war era birthday binoculars are a marvel, I've entered a new realm of visions and clearly saw the female sparrowhawk today, later a male kestrel flew very close to me over the car park on Streatham Common, he then flew down the common and met a remote controlled plane, what on Earth must he have made of that? It was the size of a condor!  I forgot to say we saw lots of bats flapping around the trees on the hop farm and also saw the first House Martin of the year. Someone thought the bat was a pipistrelle, but only because they are the commonest, they were too fast to see any identifiable features.

Hop Farm, Kent, 10th - 12th April

This weekend in Little Halden Hop Farm in Kent couldn't have been any better, the weather was perfect, we saw tawny owls, buzzards , sparrowhawks, marsh harriers and Marsh Tits, went to Dungeness, through Camber, into wonderful woods with primrose carpets, saw lambs and pheasants, ate outside, made and cooked our own pizzas on clay platters, went to Sissinghurst yesterday, ate cake til the cows came home, slept in a yurt! 

Last run of my forties

I've just come back from the last run of my forties, up the middle of the common, down through Norwood Grove, back up the big field hill, back along by the natural amphitheatre, through the woods, down Streatham common South side, across the common and onto home. I hope I'll be doing this and more all through my fifties, fingers crossed. 

In the morning I went to Bedford Wood and saw the male and female sparrowhawk sharing a tree, then, fortuitously, I was invited to join a nature walk, with children and adults which made it rather sweet, the children seemed delighted to see robins and parakeets, then I spotted a buzzard high above the common and the organiser seemed quite excited! Later I saw the male sparrowhawk gliding high above the common, I read males and females often do this together in spring, which is what I saw yesterday, I wonder if they are the pair from Graveney wood?. We also saw on the walk, Dunnock and two huge herons acting pretty friskily, I leant that black caps are called mother and father blackcaps, like the pub in Camberwell,  well, not quite. 

I learnt what broom bushes look and smell like (peas and asparagus) and what goat willow (?) feels like - very soft and cuddly catkins, and that holly is less spiky the higher it grows as the spikes are to stop animals grazing on it. goldfinches like eating blackthorn flowers so that's something to look forward to soon, though I've seen quite a few already on Streatham Common. It's been a great last few weeks of effortless birdwatching. I read this morning in Helen Macdonald's 'H is for Hawk' that Hawks often hold one leg up when resting, I was glad to know it doesn't mean they are injured as I had worried it might. It's such an engaging book, well written and touching, having watched these Hawks for weeks now I relate very well to something deeply powerful and touching about them, their fragility and power and the sense of emotions flitting through them, from fear to outrage to imperious command of the woods, watch them for long enough and you see all that. They also seem very patient, waiting and watching for hours at a time. The female looked straight at me with her eggy yellow eyes this morning, she looked affronted by my presence but not threatened. She has such presence, I think I know now when she's in the wood without even seeing her.

 As the last day of my forties it probably couldn't be improved, all the things I love to do and see, I did and saw, apart from friends and family, but I'll see some of them on the hop farm in Kent tomorrow and, with any luck, badgers and birds too...
Below, sunset on my forties...

 Last picture of me as a forty something, below, sun beginning to go down on Streatham Common this early evening...

Sparrowhawk male today

The male sparrowhawk in Bedford wood sat in a tree for at least an hour. He's pretty much in the middle of this photo below, his gray back facing the camera, he has distinct speckles like spilt milk on his back, I think I'd recognise him anywhere now, as he was sitting in the tree two other sparrowhawks flew very high above him, he looked up at them a bit confusedly.

Sparrowhawk hunting in Bedford Wood today

I saw the male Sparrowhawk hunting in Bedford Wood today, after that I saw the buzzard again, flying over the area between Amblseide Avenue and Morrisons supermarket, at least I'm imagining it's the same one I saw yesterday, very high in the blue sky. Below, Bedford Wood with a swishy vapour trail...I think of it as a perfect little gem of a wood.

Kestrel fighting a buzzard over Streaham Tescos

High in the blue bank holiday sky a Kestrel was fighting a buzzard above Streaham Tescos, during a lovely long walk taking in Streatham Common, Norwood Park, Sydenham Hill Woods, the Horniman Nature Trail and gardens,  Dulwich park and Belair, there were 4 beautiful butterflies, I forget their names, two red types, a Sulphorous yellow and a black one, lots of  nuthatches everywhere, more than I have ever seen before, then at the end the magnificent sight of the russet coloured female kestrel trying to see the buzzard off, it was a perfect, hot April day, Sunny, warm and fresh as bank holidays so rarely are....

 Above, butterfly on the railway track in Sydenham Hill woods, apparently it is called a 'comma', below, the railway track nature trail below Horniman Gardens.

Sparrowhawks mating !

This afternoon on Tooting Bec Common (Bedford Wood) we saw a very large female and the small male Sparrowhawk flying through the wood, the female clearly holding a mouse in her talons;  as she chewed on the mouse in the high branches of a beech tree the male mated with her for a very few seconds, she just carried on eating, then he stood next to her and let her get on with eating the mouse; a magpie disrupted them and they parted, she went to a higher tree and finished eating the mouse, which looked very tough. It was a really close, detailed sighting for over 20 minutes, also lots of green and great spotted woodpeckers, includng a very little one that could have been a lesser but had red which discounts that theory. Only one Egyptian Goose chick left now sadly, he is big with the beginnings of proper wings. moorhens were trying to drown each other, rather a disturbing sight, nature red in tooth and claw today..

Kestrels and a pheasant, South Norwood Country Park and Lloyd Park

Two female kestrel sightings today, in South Norwood Country Park and near to Lloyd Park, on the path down to Oaks Farm, the second was a magnifcent sight - the female perched on top of a telegraph pole until a magpie reached out along the wire and went to scratch her with his claws, she flew off in an imperious burst. In South Norwood country park the female was hovering very high. There was also a noisy pheasant, very easy to spot in the buff coloured reeds and grass, chiffchaffs, Dunnocks, chaffinches, shovelers, an acid yellow parakeet (never seen that before) goldfinches, a few long tailed tits, blue tits, coal tits, Canada geese, grey lag, which I find very handsome, noticeably high numbers of magpies, loads of crows, and very, very few people anywhere this Good Friday. We took a tram from Arena to Coombe Lane and walked down through the lovely wooded Addington hills back to Lloyd Park, from the 440 foot viewing area Windsor Castle and Heathrow Airport were easy to spot through binoculars, the weirdly located Chinese restaurant was open for lunch in the pine and birch forest wilderness, but only a few customers were visible. We also spotted in the distance the White house on Streatham Common, the Shard, London eye etc etc. The forest is huge and spills into the Surrey countryside, accidentally getting off at Gravel Hill we saw fields with cows, strange to think this is all a couple of miles from home. By Croydon arena a bad girl drove a 4 by 4 recklessly fast near us, there's a distinct edginess to this environment, you wonder if a gangland shooting is about to unfold in these ancient hills or a burnt out motorbike found smouldering in the woods...

 Above, South Norwood Country Park, below, near the top of the Addington Hills, a sign said Dartford Warblers and lizards  could be seen there, but none visible today...