Joined: Mon Apr 25, 2005 8:18 am
Posts: 53
Location: Gipsey Bridge, Lincs.
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I was about to write this up when I read of Andy Sims having witnessed a Barn Owl attacked by Kestrel.
On the 20th at about 3.15pm I was watching a Barn Owl to the rear of my property in Gipsey Bridge.
It went down on prey in long grass and the prey started shrieking. The Barn Owl tidied up and flew onto a nearby wire fence about 4 foot high nicley illuminated in the late low sun. I went to take a picture and at that moment a Male Sparrow Hawk went in talons first and grabbed the owl by the legs and wrenched it of the fence. They fell to the ground wings beating and then the owl got the beak to the head of the sparrow hawk which released and flew off. The Barn Owl went back on to the fence and finished preening for about 3 mins and then flew off towards it's nesting area.
I wonder if the hawk was attracted by the shrieking of the prey and then thought the owl still had the prey on the fence or whether in the bright sun it mistook the shape of the owl for another bird, pidgeon, dove etc.
22nd Jan 09
The Barn Owl is OK and has been hunting over the same ground.
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