Friday, December 11, 2009

Barn Owl Leftovers

After too many years I finally got to do something I had read about as a kid. Growing up in the industrial town of Widnes my chances of seeing a barn owl were pretty limited, but this year I had the pleasure of watching Rich's owls raise a brood (and possibly a second - he thinks at least one made it). I know at least one owl is still around because there is a perch it uses, where pellets can be found.
I'll admit, from a distance they look like something else, but close up you can see the fur and small bones.
A soak in water to loosen it up (gets a bit smelly then) and then pick it apart. I didn't have any tweezers, but I managed with a couple of watchmakers screwdrivers to dissect out some bones from at least 3 rodents (from 3 pellets, I hasten to add), and artfully laid them out on some slate!

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