Tags
Athene noctua, birding, birding on the Isle of Portland, birdwatching, British birds, Little owl, Obs quarry Little owl, Portland Bird Observatory, Portland birding, Portland Little owl
Here’s another bird I never see in my local area in south Wales, a Little Owl (Athene noctua).
Fortunately for me, there’s a resident Little owl in a small abandoned quarry in the field next to Portland Bird Observatory, near Portland Bill, so I walked that way to see if it was at home that day.
I was in luck! I first saw a Little owl in this same quarry on a bird club trip back in October 2017 but, as these birds have a lifespan of just three years on average, the Little owl I saw last week is not that bird but probably one of its descendants.
earthstar 
A fantastic bird, and a great shot of it too, inside what looks to be the remains of an old, washed-out bedding plane. I always think that Little Owls have one of the best ‘furious stares’ of the bird world. I think it helps that it’s coming from one of the smaller birds in our raptor family.
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Ha, yes, and thanks. The original ‘angry bird’! 🙂
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