As usual, the only birding I get done these days is to nip up the back field in Barrow for a look at the tawny owl pair. I didnt find the light bird yesterday, but the dark bird is the most approachable anyway. I must get round to cleaning out the nest boxes in the hope that they might breed next year.

Unusually, I only managed to find the "light" bird today, roosting very high up in an alder tree.

Barrow lodge
Jill and I took treakle for a walk around barrow lodge (lower) this morning. min 100 juv and female mallard, 1 single juv tufted duck, 3 bh gulls and 1 pied wagtail were all that was to be seen.
In the wildflowers at the "macdonalds" side I found 4 species of butterfly in as many metres small copper, common blue (male), painted lady and small white.

Found both owls together today for the first time in a while.





















However, the lighter coloured bird moved hiding place once he/she knew that they'd been spotted.

River calder from whalley bridge

I heard a bit of a commotion as I was crossing Whalley bridge this evening. Young mallards, a grey wagtail and a dipper, all going a bit mental at something. It didnt take me long to spot a pesky mink hunting along the banks. The mink was quite vocal too.

One of my resident tawny owls in Barrow has a new roost, took ages to find him/her today. This is the darker bird, who isn't as skittish as the lighter one. I couldnt locate the lighter bird today.

Juv Cuckoo at Lower foulridge reservoir