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COUNTRYSIDE NEWS February 2015 Wildlife Around and About East Lothian
February is, in theory at least, the tail-end of the winter. We’re well past the solstice and things generally are on the upturn. Despite this the evenings are still dark, which is a bit grim for those of us who aren’t burglars or vampires. However, it does offer us more opportunities to see crepuscular and nocturnal wildlife, such as owls. Most of us are familiar with tawny owl, the commonest of our native owls. These are the classic “brown owl” with their characteristic too-wit, too-woo call. Purists would argue that the call is actually ke-wick, hoo-hoo (or something), but that seems to be splitting hairs. More importantly, if you hear both bits of the call you’re actually hearing two owls – the ke-wick is usually a female calling, with the hoo-hoo from an answering male. Less well known is the barn owl, not least because there are far fewer of them. Barn owl populations declined hugely in the latter part of the last century as a result of habitat loss and a reduction in the number of suitable breeding sites. They have a specialised diet, feeding mainly on voles, which makes them more vulnerable to changes in the environment – anything that reduces vole numbers has a large knock-on effect on barn owl numbers. However, they can still be seen in rural areas of East Lothian. They make a wonderful sight, appearing as pale, almost ghostly figures gliding silently over fields and grassy verges. Having said that, barn owls are anything but silent when not hunting. They can produce an amazing range of noises including hisses, snorts and screeches – all of which can be rather spooky on an otherwise Barn owl quiet night. It has even been suggested that the barn owl’s eerie appearance and sound could be the source of the howling banshee of Celtic mythology. Barn owls can sometimes be seen during the day, especially during hard winters when food can be scarce. However, there is another native owl which can regularly be seen by daylight - the shorteared owl. This bird’s name derives from two small protrusions on top of the head, although these are very definitely not ears but are simply feathery tufts. Colour-wise short-eared owls are mainly various shades of light and dark brown, with a distinctly streaky appearance. Perhaps their most striking features are their yellow eyes, set in a conspicuous pale face. Short-eared owls are not numerous in this country; in fact there are probably only a few thousand breeding pairs in the UK. However, these numbers are boosted massively during winter by an influx of birds from northern Europe, mainly to areas along the east coast. As a result, during Short-eared owl summer they are best looked for in the open moorlands that are their preferred breeding habitat, but at this time of year they’re more likely to be seen over rough coastal grasslands. Whichever owl you happen to see or hear, it’ll certainly feature some superb evolutionary adaptations. Their feathers have a fringe along the leading edge which makes their flight virtually silent. Some species, including barn owls, also have rather freaky ears. One ear will be slightly larger and higher on the side of the head; an arrangement which allows the owl to pinpoint sounds incredibly accurately. Both of these features are really useful for birds which rely on hearing and stealth to catch their prey.