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Tag Archives: Athene noctua

Little owl

31 Tuesday Mar 2026

Posted by sconzani in birds

≈ 2 Comments

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.

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A parliament of owls

16 Monday Jan 2017

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature

≈ 11 Comments

Tags

Athene noctua, barn owl, Bubo bubo, Cardiff Castle, eagle owl, Eurasian eagle owl, Falconry pest control, Little owl, Tyto alba

I visited Cardiff Castle for just the second time last week when a friend came to visit and, as part of that, I also got to meet their airborne pest control team again.

170116-eagle-owl-1

Here in Cardiff, sites like the castle, the Millennium Stadium and the Central Library all employ specialist falconry companies who are tasked with deterring gulls and pigeons from feeding and nesting at these places. I blogged about Dexter the Saker falcon and his Harris hawk mates back in September 2015 but this time I met the owl members of the crew. These are not wild birds, they’ve either been rescued or bred in captivity.

170116-barn-owl

~ a Barn owl (Tyto alba) and friend

170116-little-owl

~ a Little owl (Athene noctua)

170116-eagle-owl-2
170116-eagle-owl-3

~ and Hector, a Eurasian eagle owl (Bubo bubo) (that’s also Hector at the top)

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About me

sconzani

sconzani

I'm a writer and photographer; researcher and blogger; birder and nature lover; countryside rambler and city strider; volunteer and biodiversity recorder.

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