After a week or so of walking up the river at dawn to see my Barn Owl again, I am reluctantly going to say that I don't think its hunting "south of the rivvarrh" at present.
There is clear evidence of motorbike activity (trail bikes by the look of the tyre prints) all over the Owl's hunting field.
Having come across these morons before, I assume they are out at night (de-restricted, unregistered bikes very often) - at least 2 or 3 of them by the look of the mess they've caused.
I don't blame the Owl for finding "pastures new" (quite literally), as they will be making quite a racket at night.
I hope I know roughly where the Owl is still roosting at present, and assume it will be hunting just north of the river - but that is a good two hour walk for me (4 hours round trip at least), and at the moment, will not be do-able by me.
I'll continue to walk up the river at dusk and dawn occasionally, for a time, in the hope that the cretins on their bikes get reported or bored.
I hope to meet them one evening...., with a catatpult and a few stones maybe...
The picture above is another photo I took this morning of a barb on a barbed wire fence, running next to the Barn Owl field, covered in a heavy frost.
Click as always to enlarge.
2 comments:
This has happened to me while I was watching a badger sett (kids running around the wood) and also nightjar watching (motorbikes going over the heathland).
I found the best thing was to take it into your own hands. Don't wait for someone else to report it... do it yourself.
I've found the police very helpful, and they are usually pretty happy to get phone calls from people who really do care about their surroundings.
They now put the badger sett and the heathland on their "rounds" so that they can check them out and we have had a lot less trouble. I've also become a Volunteer Warden on Upton Heath for the Dorset Wildlife Trust.
If you get chatty with the coppers they will usually give you a direct line to call them, when you notice problems.
Also find out who the field belongs to (if you can). You would be amazing how many people want to help protect wildlife and wildlife hunting grounds (but just don't realise they are there). Maybe it just needs a decent gate to stop them? The farmer may be happy to do this.
I'd much rather be proactive about these things, than just let them happen and feel I hadn't tried to do something.
If all else fails... let me know and I will be there in my full camo gear with balaclava. That will put the fear of god into them!
Jane
Thanks for that Jane.
I have reported similar things in the past to the rozzers, but I tend to think that I can help more than just "reporting"...
Heh heh!
Post a Comment