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Tim Baynes Painter and Writer's avatar

One county to the west of you we have had the water and ice and crows. Your post is marvellously evocative. A piece of nature writing that gets you thinking about what is going on in your own back yard. There are many 'nature' writers your work demands attention. From one who is the world's worse at subscribing and then un subscribing in the next breath! Thank you. Tim in Wiltshire

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Deb Champion's avatar

Thanks Tim. No ice here now, just mud x

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Rtfrt's avatar

Male and female tawny owls have different calls - one does the "toowit" and the other the "twoo", though I can't remember which is which. But if you look it up you should be able to figure out whether they're a pair.

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Deb Champion's avatar

It’s the female that ke-wick but I think males can if they want to but what I’m hearing is the territorial calling. The one that sounds like a ghost who-who-whooooooo. So I always figured it was rivals, but I don’t really know.

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Rtfrt's avatar

Oh, I didn't know they could switch it up!

...I suppose it's possible you have one owl and one ghost!

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Deb Champion's avatar

I think only the males do the return hooooo, but both can say ke-wick socially. I might be making it up. It’s probably a ghost owl, which is why he doesn’t need to sleep.

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Anne Thomas's avatar

I'm so tickled by the scope for pun and layers of meaning from a plant name like honesty :D And by everything else in this post. About to post my own little thought bubble about rooks.

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Deb Champion's avatar

Ah rook, saw them flying off in a completely different direction. Don’t know what they’re up to. There were never many so I’m assuming they are off to find more rooks for breeding purposes.

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Anne Thomas's avatar

"what are they up to" is my constant question haha

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Deb Champion's avatar

I don’t think humans know what the birds are up to at all. Birds are definitely up to something though.

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Anne Thomas's avatar

Absolutely...and I swear I wrote the post I just posted before this conversation hahaha

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