When I came upon this Oak, I had in mind growing an Oak from an acorn. So I scouted around in the grass to see if I could find any.
I seemed to recall the acorns need to age and weather before they germinate and I thought eight or ten months in the field might have been enough.
I couldn't find any - the grass was long and that didn't help.
I moved closer to the trunk, where there was some bare soil between the buttresses, thinking that I might see something. I found some gall apples and empty shells and a few tiny acorns that I didn't think had grown enough before they fell.
I had noticed that there was a lot of white bird shit down one part of the trunk and as I explored around the tree's base I found some raptor pellets - in fact, a huge pile of them.
I picked one up - it was all grey fur on the outside. Smaller than the Barn Owl pellets we found a few months ago.
Here is the pellet along with the best acorn and 'something else'.
As I looked up, I could see the branch where this Bird must regularly perch, leaving all these traces on the ground beneath. The cover photo shows that branch.... the 'sofa' for this Raptor.
Judging by this handy guide, I am guessing that my pellet may have been the trace of a Kestrel. Though that large pile suggests something bigger... maybe it's a Barn Owl. I have seen Kestrels and Sparrowhawks in these fields, but Barn Owls could I suppose live here... there are indeed barns not far away, as the Owl flies.
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