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Writer's pictureWildlifeKate

My 1st Tawny Food Pass!

When I woke up this morning, the first thing I did was go and check the icatcher footage of last night. Disappointed, there were no visits to any of the boxes and no sign of the roosting tawny. I went off to work feeling a little despondent.

Once home, again, I went up to the computer. I was not expecting to see what I saw. There was the female (I think) back in the Bridle path box! Playing the footage back, she had arrived in the box just after 4pm. I was surprised to see that she had flown in daylight hours. Dave Culley said this is sometimes an indication that they are getting close to lay!

By 6pm, she was off again.  By half six, she reappeared. I could see she was calling and I need to set up all the audio on these boxes, so I have sound on my recordings. Then suddenly the male appeared and, in his beak, he had a freshly caught vole! I could not believe it! A food pass… and a sure sign this pair are looking to breed soon.

The female took the vole and, in a minute or so, followed him out of the box and into the night. I breathed a sigh of relief… may be I was still in a chance of having a breeding pair this year… I just hope they choose the other finished boxes, or at least give me a chance to finish the Bridle Path one! You can see the footage in this is not quite in focus and a wide angle lens is on the camera.

Cam6 Bridle Path Tawny 2016-02-29 18-29-04.042

Just after 8.15pm, she was back in the Pear Tree Box. This is the box I hope she chooses as it is the best positioned and quietest location. With the camera focused and the light sorted, the image in the box is about the best I can get with a 700TVL nest box camera.


Cam3 Pear Tree Tawny 2016-02-29 20-17-36.099

She spent about 5 minutes in the box and did some ‘paddling’ with her feet to make a hollow in the soft substrate. This is the box she was in when I took the lid off at the weekend… I really hope she decides to stay…


On checking the Yew View Tawny box on my phone app, I was amazed to see both tawnies in the box just after 3am this morning… it really is all taking off! Could I dare to hope that this year I might actually be able to capture footage of a breeding tawnies?!

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