Country Matters

Who gives a hoot?

Over the last year, it has become apparent from the nocturnal noises that we have a number of owls living in the village.   Although owls are mainly nocturnal, they can be seen during the day as well, but they can mostly be heard during the night when all else is quiet. Owls are amazing birds; they are birds of prey with exceptional vision and very acute hearing.   Add these to their scarily sharp talons and their powerful beaks and you have a formidable predator which uses stealth to hunt its prey.   The poor animals which are regurgitated as owl pellets are literally nothing more than skin and bone by the time they reach this stage!

We are lucky enough to have families of barn owls living in the village.   In the past, these have been dubbed “Ghost owls” and were an ancient symbol of bad luck, as they were frequently associated with witchcraft and magic.   As we have relatively few witches living in the Parish nowadays, and the ducking stool over the river is no longer in use, our Barn Owls enjoy a somewhat safer environment living in farm buildings and barns.   It is the barn owls that we can hear screeching during the night as they swoop down to catch the poor unsuspecting field mice or vole who is going to become their supper.

We also have tawny owls in residence in Longparish.   These birds are the fairy tale owl of the “tu whit tu whoo” fame, and it is the tawny owl who is the famous “Wol” companion to Winnie the Pooh and his friends.   Like the barn owls, tawny owls have exceptional vision; however it is their intimate knowledge of their surroundings which enable the tawnys to move so quickly and efficiently at night.   So the next time you are lost in Longparish, ask the Tawny Owl for directions!

What has helped to attract these new residents of the village is the local shoot.   Where you have managed shoots which leave rough grassland corridors and headlands as well as maize strips for game cover, you will also attract the wildlife such as voles and field mice which are the staple diet of these owls.   In addition, the rules for the single farm payment to farmers now ask for much more in the way of conservation and farmers are encouraged to leave wide borders to their fields in order to help the conservation initiatives currently being undertaken on behalf of owls, game birds, farmland birds, wildflowers and butterflies .   You can help encourage owls to your garden by erecting an owl box – details and information www.barnowl.co.uk

 

Owls too have been credited with having wisdom naturally enough, as is fitting and right. This began with the goddess Athene as the owl was sacred to her and was recognised as therefore having great wisdom.   Then we have the lovely Wol, friend of Winnie the Pooh – here is an owl that displayed great wisdom.   After all, he could spell Tuesday – even if he couldn't spell it right!   As Winnie said to himself    "And if anyone knows anything about anything, it's Owl who knows something about something, or my name's not Winnie-the-Pooh which it is," he added. "So there you are."      Country Bumpkin

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UGANDA SCHOOL

  BUILDING PROJECT

 

BARN DANCE

SATURDAY 18 TH MARCH 2006

16 year old Longparish resident, Nick Jolliffe, spent a busy summer and autumn fundraising for his international Scout expedition to Uganda planned for the summer of 2006. Nick and another team member have arranged a barn dance at the Harris Hall in Andover on Saturday 18th March to raise funds for the expedition.   If you would like tickets, please phone 01264 720207.  

The aim of the expedition team is to raise money to build a single brick building housing three classrooms, an office and a storeroom in the Namwenda area of Kamuli. In addition, a five position pit latrine will be built and new tables and chairs provided for the classrooms. The local Kamuli government is expected to match the expedition's funding to achieve this new building. Nick is part of a team organised by a local Scout leader who has successfully run two previous projects in the same area of Uganda.

Nick has raised about a third of his trip costs so far and would like to thank Longparish residents who have donated money and sponsored him for his abseiling at Bexhill on Sea in October 2005.    The abseiling event alone raised over £300. (See a photo of this event on www.kamuli.org.uk ). Nick has delivered leaflets for local companies in Andover over the summer and autumn raising another £300.    He has also sold sweets at scouting events, helped with car parking at summer fetes and craft shows and hopes to arrange a joint fund-raising event with the 10th Andover Cubs – based in Hurstbourne Tarrant – as he is a Young Leader for this group