July 2026 Ramsbury Bird Notes by Paul Swan

Tawny owl chicks

The last few weeks have been dominated by many young birds fledging & leaving the nest. We were surprised & delighted that the wrens nested in our nest box for the 4th year running. The parents have been feeding the 4 youngsters at close to 5-minute intervals for the last 2 weeks. They have now left the nest & are hiding under a hedge while the parents are continuing to feed them. The sparrows fledged earlier & the flock has more than trebled as the youngsters join in their raids. A real treat was to hear young tawny owls sitting high in a nearby tree, beseeching their parents to keep up the food supply. They will not start hunting until August & will only be fully independent in September. A long haul for the parents. The 2 main bridges at Seven Bridges have been rebuilt & are fully open. That area continues to be one of our richest habitats. Most of the warblers are still there, & we finally had a sighting of a kingfisher, which always takes the breath away. We have seen both male & female cuckoo in that area, although it won't be long before they are off again. They will be leaving several young to the care of their foster parents & will never meet their offspring. One of nature's oddities.