August is the time here at Balvicar to look out for small flocks of Twite returning to the coast following breeding, as they search out food on unimproved or semi-improved grassland. They feed on a variety of seeds including those of dandelion, sorrel, annual meadow grass and thistle. Most of their time is spent feeding on the ground and they are reminiscent of small mice as they move around with their legs lying flat to the ground.

The Twite is a small, unobtrusive finch, slightly smaller than a Linnet, the Twite being its upland counterpart, but with a longer tail and shorter bill. Its back is tawny brown, streaked dark brown. The buff wingbar  is similar to Redpoll. In breeding plumage the male's rump is pink but this is much more subdued during the rest of the year. Its twittering call, sung from a low perch or in flight is similar to the Linnet's, but more significant is the characteristic drawn out nasal 'tveeiht' (hence Twite !!).

They breed on the moorlands of the Scottish Highlands, northern England and N Wales. In winter some remain in N and W Scotland, near the coast, while others, including Continental birds, move to the coast of eastern England where they can be found on saltmarshes and coastal fields. 

Breeding areas are occupied from May to August and they nest in heather or sometimes bracken. Twite nest close to the ground and usually lay five or six eggs. Birds then move out of their upland range, going to more coastal areas. They can stay on the coast from September until April, before the cycle repeats itself.

Although the last two days have probably been hottest of the summer, the sight of eclipse Wigeon always makes me realise autumn is not far away. 

Eclipse plumage is found most notably amongst ducks. It replaces the breeding plumage after the breeding season and appears at a time when the main flight feathers are moulting. Moulting is a process where feathers are replaced. This improves flight performance and maintains the waterproofing in the case of ducks.

Eclipse plumage tends to be much duller than normal plumage which makes a lot of sense if you are a duck without fully working flight feathers and want to keep well hidden from predators.

Male ducks acquire eclipse plumage towards the end of the summer but it is a fairly short-lived phase. Some male ducks begin to regain their colourful breeding plumage before their flight feathers are fully renewed so it would appear that the advantage of developing colourful breeding plumage earlier than your rivals in terms of successfully mating can outweigh the additional danger of shedding your camouflage before you can fly properly.

Last night I finally added Barn Owl to my list of birds recorded at Balvicar. As dusk fell the unexpected figure of a Barn Owl passed our window and glided over the meadow at the back of our cottage in search of food.

Barn Owls have buff coloured upper surfaces, white under-parts, with a distinctive white heart-shaped face and black eyes.  When hunting they fly slowly, low over fields "quartering" areas of open ground and hover before swooping for mice, voles, shrews and frogs, although they will occasionally take small birds and bats.  They make a variety of shrieks, hisses and snoring sounds, but they don't hoot (that's the Tawny Owl).

Most reports by the public are of birds seen whilst driving. Although daylight hunting does occur, dusk and dawn are the best time to observe them. Barn Owls are very susceptible to road deaths as they are very light and are easily drawn into roads by passing vehicles. Road verges can be very good hunting areas and road hits are a major cause of death for the Barn Owl.

Old farm buildings are their favoured nesting site, but they will also use church towers, ruins and nest boxes. They may sometimes use holes and cavities in trees and although they may hunt wide forest rides or clearings, they are not woodland birds, preferring more open country, such as rough grassland.

The eggs are laid at 1-2 day intervals but incubation starts when the first egg is laid. The young hatch out at different times so the youngest may emerge when some siblings are already a week old. This creates a pecking order amongst the chicks in which the oldest birds always get fed first and the youngest will only survive if there is enough food left over. The youngest and smallest bird may even be eaten by its larger sibling. Therefore, if food is plentiful, the owls are able to rear several young,  but in a bad year the presence of the youngest chicks will not  jeopardise the survival of the older chicks.