Well there’s all sorts of excitement here in Rawtenstall and in Llandudno! Apparently all the people who worked on the new aviaries over the summer are getting together tomorrow to celebrate the finish of the work. I was hoping all of us owls would be invited but I’m beginning to think that it’s a people event. Still, while they’re all off doing people things, perhaps we owls can have some fun! So any owls in a flying distance of Rawtenstall, get ready for the call tomorrow afternoon. Oh by the way it’ll be BYOM (Bring your own mouse).
I was hearing from Jenni that lots of Short Eared Owls have come down from the hills now and are finding places, often near the coast, to spend the winter. They like salt marshes and meadows where they can hunt for voles. Jenni is going to go to Burton Mere on the Wirral on Sunday to watch them there. Short-Eared Owls are different from owls like me. They like to hunt during the day but my sort of owl hunts in the evening or early in the morning. They are diurnal and we are nocturnal. Here’s a place where you can find out lots about them http://www.owlpages.com/owls.php?genus=Asio&species=flammeus
It’s funny that most people think that all owls hunt at night – well they don’t – quite a lot hunt during the day! I think people get it all mixed up because they try to sleep all night. Actually, people are about the only animals that get all their sleep in one go. Most of the rest of us sleep when we’re sleepy and do things when we’re not sleepy. I often laugh when I hear people say “I haven’t slept a wink”. Why didn’t they just get up out of their nests and go look for mice – or even spiders? Any other animal would have! So when we say that an animal is nocturnal it doesn’t really mean they sleep all day and are awake all night. Rather they do more things at night and less during the day but often they can sleep for a while the night and stay awake for a long time during the day.
I’ll have lots to tell you all later!
Hoots and love
Otis
