General (County) update - 12th December 2010

• I did make it to the ridgeway before dawn again this morning - well before dawn to be fair (ended up sitting in the car listening to Classic FM for 30 mins, as the light grew in the sky).


• Four short-eared owls greeted me - and I spent an hour watching them quarter over the rough scrubby grass on top of the ridge, on the Oxfordshire border - a lovely, cold, crisp, sunny dawn and owls to hoot (sorry, to boot).


• Upon returning I heard two rose-ringed parakeets in Mr.T's garden next door but one and went 'round to take a few photos of these strange green aliens.


• Many people will have seen rose-ringed parakeets in the UK - there are vast populations in and around south west London, although they have got little pockets of populations all over the UK. I saw my first bird on top of my secondary school (near High Wycombe, Bucks) when I was about 13 years old.


• Legend has it that Jimi Hendrix released a pair in carnaby st in the 1960s - and THAT is why we have loads of the pesky beggars these days.


• This winter is the first winter that I've noticed reports of pairs from all over the country - I rather think they're looking for seeds in people's gardens during this cold winter.


• Apologies for the terrible photo of the short-eared owl in the bare trees, accompanying this post. ( Click any of the photos twice to see full size). It was just light when I watched them, and rather than trying to get close enough to take good photos, I watched them through binoculars and got lovely views. They're such pretty birds.