Barn Owl ( Tyto alba )

Apologies for a third barn owl in consecutive blips.

A day of high and low spots.  We had taken an extra day over in Harrogate for a specific purpose, visiting RSPB Fairburn Ings.  We left the site in clear bright conditions, the nearer we got to the reserve the more it rained.  We arrived at the reserve to find the entrance blocked and a crew laying Tarmac.  I rang the RSPB to see when they would open.  The reply "tomorrow".  I had checked the website before we set off no mention of closure.  "We have been putting it out on social media for over a week" they said.  When will organisations/businesses realise not everybody uses social media.

They directed us to a similar reserve 4 or 5 miles down the road, where even the staff didn't know Fairburn Ings was closed.  By this time it was lunch time so after lunch as it was still raining we decided to head back to the site.  By the time we got to the site the rain was easing.  We decided to pop out to the local reserve to watch the owls again.  We saw 5 in total and taking the advice of a local birder were well positioned for getting photos.

The blip is an individual (probably female) dropping in an unsuccessful attempt to catch prey.  Five owls in 79 hectares ( approx a couple of hundred acres) suggests to me it isn't habitat that is the problem but nest sites.  The reserve birds use 1 barn and nest boxes.