A Little (Owl) Ruffled

Every time I pass the lodge of the All Nations College in Stanstead Abbotts I look up to the ornate chimney to see if the little owl that I've photographed and blipped a couple of times is on station. I haven't seen it recently. A mate told me that it's still there but might be on the side away from the road.

I parked and walked up the lane today and I was delighted to see it staring down at me. It was a little ruffled by the stiff breeze. 

"I had forgotten how small

It is, the Little Owl ....

.... Forgotten too its stare

A yellow blinkless glare:

And the grip it perches by - ...."

Peter Walton

Male little owls keep the same territory for life. They can live up to sixteen years. Wonder if it and its mate nest in the chimney?