“ Ewan Parry who is rebuilding a leaky chimney on our farmhouse roof had a
goshawk fly over his head yesterday. It had taken an unidentifiable corvid which
it was carrying and was mobbed by a group of crows. I’m less certain of my
sighting the day before which was a possible goshawk seen at distance flying up
from our hay field, again with prey, into a group of hedgerow trees. As a
vegetable grower, I welcome goshawk controlling our rabbit population. I’ve seen
them used by hunters to catch rabbit in southern Germany. The hunters say that
the Habicht is the only hawk agile enough in flight to defeat the
twisting run of das Kaninchen.
Our regular sightings of barn owl
over the hay field continue. Usually, like the Owl of Minerva, it flies at dusk
which has been around 9.30 to 10.00 pm. in July. We’ve identified two
individuals, one has a darker plumage, and the other is lighter, whiter. We’ve
seen both on the same evening but we’ve not seen them together. It’s possible
that they roost in an old atcost barn that’s near the road about 500 metres
away.
I wonder if we will continue to see barn owl and goshawk once the
hay has been made. We leave cutting the hay field till after the date of the
Royal Welsh Show so that as many plant species as possible can shed
seed."
David Frost