Welcome

Reaching the final of Masterchef 2007 was a rollercoaster of emotion, with huge highs and lows, but I loved every minute and learnt a huge amount. I owe a great deal to John and Gregg who had faith in my ability when I did not believe in myself. Since competing on the programme my life has changed considerably. I now write cookery columns for two magazines, give cookery demonstrations and am just working on my 13th cook book - unlucky number for some but not for me!!! I love all forms of country cooking, using seasonal and locally sourced produce. This blog is to enable me to share with you a few of my recipes and baking ideas. Enjoy Hannah xxxx

Wednesday 1 July 2009

I was busy clearing out one of our bedrooms last night (finally putting the Christmas decorations in the loft - shocking I know as it is now July!) and I spotted some unusual birds on the river bank in our garden. This is the latest area we are working on in the garden and it has been stripped and cleared ready for us to decide what to put there. I quickly got my camera and discovered that it was a family of 3 owls. They were all hopping round a hole that had cheeping coming from it so I think they might have some babies - although I wonder whether owls actually nest in the ground (hopefully one of you is an avid birdwatcher and will know the answer) or perhaps the fluffy owl is actually the chick. Anyway - it was a very special treat to see three of them together and I thought I would share it with you. If anyone knows what sort of Owls these are I would love to know - they look a little like a Barred Owl when I search on Google.

7 comments:

Celia Hart said...

Oh you lucky thing!!! They are Little Owls (Athene noctua). They aren't native to England, but were introduced in Victorian times. It's unusual to spot one, but I've occasionally seen one sitting on a low post at the roadside - they are out and about in daylight. They nest in hollow trees or rabbit burrows - so it looks as though you have a little family in residence :-)

Here's a link for more info
http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/l/littleowl/videos.asp

Celia
x

Rita said...

How precious!

Teena Vallerine said...

oh yes a Little Owl. We sometimes see one on the school run. How lovely to have a family so close to home. I am going to share this post with my little boy - he will LOVe the pictures! t.x

The Ample Cook said...

How amazing! Lucky you. Well done with the photos Hannah.

Donna (Texas) said...

Ahhhhh...Aren't they Sweet!! Love your Mom's Flower cake! Happy baking!

Anonymous said...

Look at this!
*giggeling*
Mimmi

http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/

♥Rosie♥ said...

Those owls are one of the cutest things I've seen - thanks for sharing those photos with us Hannah.