Re: Little Owl Eastbourne Wellington
Posted: Wed Aug 28, 2019 8:27 am
Have not heard the little owl call again, but hear the local morepork most nights so the earlier call must have been that, my mistake. It's been fascinating observing the large flock of sparrows in the backyard around the feeder, not had that opportunity before. "Flock sparrow" is a different creature from "individual sparrow" or those in small groups (less than a dozen). Must be an evolutionary adaptation that's developed -big flocks obviously more visible, noisier and attract predator attention more readily than a small group foraging on the ground. The vocal interaction is different too, the 'churring' chatter (which the backyard tui has learned to mimic) seems to only occur when the sparrows get over a critical mass (40-50 individuals).