Long-eared owls!

Can you spot the nest?

 

Two weeks ago I went looking in through a wood for long-eared owls in the day found nothing. Last night I went at dusk and before I reached the edge of the trees I could hear the characteristic "squeaky gate" call of the young owlets. As they came from three different places I could tell that the birds had already left the nest. Mum and dad owl arrived and sounded a bit cross so I took a GPS and left. Here are more calls and here is a great site for more info on these owls.

Next day we returned to see if we could spot one of the fledglings - not a chance! They could have been anywhere up there in the wildly swaying trees. I did find the nest, a scrappy thing so it is (an old pigeon nest?) and under the tree were plenty pellets and white spots of owlet poo. And there was a dead vole and a dead shrew and sadly also a fourth owlet that must have fallen from the nest. And strangely enough, there was the old remains of an adult owl too. So the nest....

...you're right - it's that little bundle of sticks about 12m up.