Wise Owl Dumb Mouse

Last night I had set the video camera to recharge the battery. I have one that gives about four hours of life. So I can leave it a couple of days between charges if I switch the power off. Well last night I had heard some strange noises outside. Thinking of what could be making the sounds; I unhooked the camera and went out to see if I could see what was making the noise. I took the video light and the IR light and hoped that I was right.

What I was assuming I had heard was a Barn Owl. The screeching sound that they make can make them distinctive, however there was a steady drizzle so it was surprising to hear one as they normally do not fly in the rain. The wet weather can damage the condition of the feathers, so if it was active at night it was more than likely it was very hungry and that need had driven it out to feed in the wet. Given the recent snows and frosts was the bird struggling to find mice or voles?

It took me a while to locate the bedraggled bird, but the IR was really useful. But the light had drained the battery and the four hour battery will only last an hour when using the lights and it was not fully charged. Therefore I could not film the Owl, but having found it I wondered if I could feed it. I don’t have a supply of fresh mice at home, but I did have some braising pork in the fridge, so back home, putting the camera on charge again, I cut off some small bits of raw pork and made some strips an inch long by half inch thick. I returned and the owl was still there. It had seen me previously and was fully aware of me when I returned.

He or she, I think it was a she, was sitting on the branch of a tree about seven feet from the ground, trying to get as much shelter as it could. As I am over six feet it was not difficult for me to reach up and place a couple of pieces of the meat on the branch near her. I was a little worried that she would attack but apart from hissing at me she stayed where she was until I moved back. She picked up one piece after a few minutes and stayed with it hanging from her beak for almost ten minutes. It was curious spectacle for me to watch all the while she was watching me. Then almost without warning she tossed her head back and the meat was gone. At first I was not sure that she had eaten it or tossed it away. Then she picked up the second piece and that I did see her eat.

While I did have more with me I did not want to over feed her, also I wanted to see if I could film her so I backed away and returned home for the camera. When I returned the Owl was gone. While I did not get to film her it was a great experience. As Owls are creatures of habit it may be possible to see her again at a later date. I don’t know if the food supplemented her or it was just that she was wet that made her look so bedraggled but it would be nice to think so.

When I returned home I was shattered and ready for bed. I hooked up the Camera to recharge over night but as I discovered when I came to unhook it and use it today, I had not turned the power on. So I was left with having to charge it today.