Little Owl and Grey Squirrels

Moments like these are rare and I was lucky enough today (6th Nov 2019) to be at the right place at the right time to witness this short interaction between the Little Owl and Grey Squirrels at Kensington Gardens, London.

Google said the weather was sunny and chilly today, which only meant it was a perfect day for birding. I reached the Kensington Gardens by 0900 hrs and entered the park from Albert Memorial side and head straight to see if I could get a glimpse of the Little Owl basking in the sun. Luck was on my side as it was right there in the hole, enjoying the morning sun. The fall colours behind also added a lot to the frame.

I slowly got closer and made more images (literally fired at-least a 100 shots #owlrush 😀 ). Satisfied with the images, I was thinking if I should still stick around or move on when a Eurasian Treecreeper caught my eye on the tree next to it. I made some good images of the same and returned back to see the Little Owl. A few Rose-ringed Parakeets were flying around, and the owl seemed to keep a keen eye on them.

Around 40 minutes had passed and I noticed a Grey Squirrel on the same branch, and another one. The Owl did start moving its head as well, checking them out. The branch has a hole from top as well as it seem to be checking them by turning around. Thats when I got to make the following images.

“the squirrel comes in, and the owl immediately turns to check it out…

“the face off…

“Owl not looking away for even a moment…

“the squirrel move right on top and starts… err scratching!

“and the other squirrel moves in…

“both of them check the Little Owl now…

“the second squirrel goes away, while first one stays…

“and starts scratching again…

“Looks like a deadlock as neither is ready to move…

The Squirrel stayed put on the top of the hole, and the Little Owl finally flew out to perch higher up in the tree. I was still looking around when Ralph came by, and we looked for it together but could not spot it again. We decided to go ahead and check it out later in the day. He did manage to see it again later (you can see it in his blog here).

Coming to Ralph, I have been a regular follower Ralph’s blog on Kensington Gardens & Hyde Park – https://kensingtongardensandhydeparkbirds.blogspot.com. It is without a doubt the best blog for birding in these parks. Ralph updates the blog on daily basis which is a feat in itself. I was at Kensington Gardens yesterday as well (5th Nov 2019) when I was fortunate enough to meet Ralph who happily let me tag along with him, showed me key birding spots and shared a lot of knowledge and information about the park. His knowledge about birds and the park is unmatched, hoping to learn a lot from him in coming months as i plan to visit Hyde Park on a regular basis. Many thanks to his tips, I managed witness this unique moment.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for a blog on birding at Hyde Park & Kensington Gardens. Till then, ciao 🙂

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– Rudraksha & Shraddha