Owl Pellet?

[2dogs2000]

The only thing I can think of is an owl pellet. Mind you I have never seen one of them either. On first sight it looked like a centre of a pine cone. On closer inspection I can see that all the black bits are remnants of beetles. I can't make out what any of the other bits are.
I found it this evening on a fence in open farmland.


Hope someone can ID it for me.

[outdoorguy]

hi its prob little owl as one of there main food is beetles.. james

[2dogs2000]

I forgot to say it was about 3cms long. It was the beetles that threw me more than anything as I thought all owls ate things like mice etc.
Thank you James.

[mh68]

The shape, size and location you found it certainly fits the bill for Little Owl.Nice find, worth keeping an eye out for the culprit when you next go down there

Mark H

[2dogs2000]

2 Id's for little owl.

Ok, I haven't seen the owl but the pellet is an exciting find for me.
When I first saw it I thought yuk! Then after some thought I went back and picked it up and brought it home (family will be pleased).

I know exactly where I found it so I can go back, no problem. What would be the best time to see it?

Thanks to you both.

[mh68]

I`m no expert but I think theyre more diurnal than the other Owl species, so you should see them during the day.

Mark H

[outdoorguy]

ur best bet is early evening.. just as its getting dark... they're pretty quick... james

[ron1863]

Originally Posted by mh68

The shape, size and location you found it certainly fits the bill for Little Owl.Nice find, worth keeping an eye out for the culprit when you next go down there

Mark H

Is that one for the dropping gallery Mark

[mh68]

Originally Posted by ron1863

Is that one for the dropping gallery Mark

I`d be happier if we could get another confident ID or two Ron. I`m no expert on pellets. If we can then yeah, a good addition to the tracks/signs thread

Mark H

[ellen h]

It certainly looks like a little owl pellet.
I have seen a little owl in fields near where I live,have even located a nesting site(with the help of a bird watcher)
When I have seen it it was around about 8 am but it has been observed in the late afternoon too.
ellen

[ron1863]

Originally Posted by mh68

I`d be happier if we could get another confident ID or two Ron. I`m no expert on pellets. If we can then yeah, a good addition to the tracks/signs thread

Mark H

I'm no expert either Mark but I know an owl pellet but not the species. I googled owl pellets and ther aint a lot on identifying species through pellets. This link was the best I could get (for kids, but good). No photos but good descriptions.

Finding and recognising pellets - The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds

[mh68]

Originally Posted by ron1863

I'm no expert either Mark but I know an owl pellet but not the species. I googled owl pellets and ther aint a lot on identifying species through pellets. This link was the best I could get (for kids, but good). No photos but good descriptions.

Finding and recognising pellets - The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds

Cant beat photographic examples Ron, hence the other thread.Descriptions can sometimes be interpreted the way we want to interpret them, and even line drawings can be misleading sometimes.Not a bad link that, thanks mate have bookmarked it

Mark H

[2dogs2000]

Originally Posted by mh68

I`d be happier if we could get another confident ID or two Ron. I`m no expert on pellets. If we can then yeah, a good addition to the tracks/signs thread

Mark H

I have been following up on this thread and no-one else has come forward with any other suggestions. I have also looked at the link (RSPB for Kids) and from that I am even more convinced it is a little owl pellet.
Reasons being; it was found on a wooden fence next to a hedgerow, it is crumbly and has a texture like compressed seeds with loads of beetle wing cases.
From the link it suggests it can be confused with Kestrel pellets but they apparently have a felty texture and found near a high roosting position, and this was neither of those.

I have noticed today that the pellet is darkening in colour and starting to fall apart. I do not own a microscope which would be very useful in this case. I am still only able to identify beetle wing cases and a beetle leg

Hope this extra information is of use to you.

[mh68]

Originally Posted by 2dogs2000

I have been following up on this thread and no-one else has come forward with any other suggestions. I have also looked at the link (RSPB for Kids) and from that I am even more convinced it is a little owl pellet.
Reasons being; it was found on a wooden fence next to a hedgerow, it is crumbly and has a texture like compressed seeds with loads of beetle wing cases.
From the link it suggests it can be confused with Kestrel pellets but they apparently have a felty texture and found near a high roosting position, and this was neither of those.

I have noticed today that the pellet is darkening in colour and starting to fall apart. I do not own a microscope which would be very useful in this case. I am still only able to identify beetle wing cases and a beetle leg

Hope this extra information is of use to you.

Cheers 2dogs, if everyones happy with the ID, then i`ll add it to the tracks and signs thread

Mark H

[Tracey.A]

Originally Posted by ron1863

I'm no expert either Mark but I know an owl pellet but not the species. I googled owl pellets and ther aint a lot on identifying species through pellets. This link was the best I could get (for kids, but good). No photos but good descriptions.

Finding and recognising pellets - The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds

I have a very good book on Id tracks and signs of british birds and the pellet seems to tick all the boxes as far as I can see - size is good in fact it looks just like the picture in my book. They eat small rodents, birds, earth worms, reptiles and insects.