This morning, at about 4am, our slumber was disturbed by the pheasant's distinctive alarm call. Too early to be part of the song-birds dawn chorus, he had obviously been woken by a visitor to the garden. I wondered who could be lurking in the shadows at such an early hour? Three subsequent alarm calls alerted the whole garden to the presence of an interloper; the threat of imminent danger. 'Son of Elvis', as we like to call him, retires each night at the top of steps under the safety of a pittosporum bush; warm, cosy and tucked away from the view. Perhaps he spotted Mr Fox slipping in through the deer-fence to visit the pond for an early morning tipple. Or maybe it's a sign that a barn owl has taken up residence in the new owl-box, now that really would be headline news...
Prolonged winter weather is having a devastating effect on the local wildlife, barn owls are being forced to hunt in daylight because their food staple, warm mammals, has been depleted by the sodden land. I have seen several weak, emaciated birds, weighing as little as 250 grammes, on my walks through the woods. Desperate measures are called for in their fight for survival. Juicy earth worms, Badger's favourite delicacy, are in short supply as continued late frosts make the ground impenetrable, even with their powerful claws! Perhaps 'Son of Elvis' is making a plea on behalf of all his woodland friends, an SOS, imploring us to open our eyes and listen to their plight. This is a call to arms asking us to help the natural world ... before it is too late...
