Oct 7th, 2018

Author: donich_admin

New wildlife in the garden

The last two mornings I have been woken very early by a loud screeching sound. At first I thought it was badger related activity and in fact once went out for a look with a torch.

But on investigation there was no sign of an animal. A little later, R and I were walking just outside the garden and I saw a grey bird fly quickly across the path.

I’ve now looked up the RSPB website, and I’m pretty convinced we have a barn owl in the garden. We’ve often heard tawny owls at night before, but the barn owl is new, although I once saw one on a fence post near the road a few years ago.

My Mum said to me yesterday that barn owls were called “Screech Owls” and I eroniously told her that was an American phrase. But I was wrong – and thinking about it I should have remembered the old poem about “someone came a knocking” which mentions the screech owl’s call.

Courtesy of a birthday present from my parents we also now have a hedgehog house in our garden (behind the old wall which is the last vestige of the original Donich Lodge house). I’ll be interested to see if they turn up as we have a big badger population – but as the saying goes “If you build it they will come”.