More noises in the night

 

More noises in the night

In February, it was screaming foxes that disturbed my sleep. Last night, something else woke me at 3.00 a.m. There were three distinct cries, loud and insistent enough to alert Herschel and Jellicoe. They leapt off the bed and assumed position on the windowsill, prising open the wooden shutters to try and see what was happening.

The first and loudest was the clattering call of a magpie. This is often an alarm call, frequently heard in daylight hours, but uncommon in the wee small hours. It continued for around fifteen minutes.

 At the same time, a female tawny owl was calling persistently, a soft ‘kee-wick,’ but there was no corresponding ‘hoo-hoo’ from a male, so she was clearly not inviting a mate.

 A third higher-pitched sound created a counterpoint to the first two sounds. In musical notation, the score (ahem!) would have appeared as an ostinato bass clef A, a repeated middle C ‘kee-wick,’ and a high C exclamation.

I think the quick high C may have been a cry for help from an unfortunate rodent. This cry is an attempt to make the predator desist, or to warn others of imminent danger. It is not often successful.

I wondered, though, if Mrs Owl was attempting to procure a magpie fledgling snack, and that was why the adult was rattling so vigorously. I also wondered if there was more than one owl marauding, and that was the reason for so many high-pitched squeaks.

After twenty minutes, peace was restored, the cats abandoned their vigil and returned to my legs, and night-time slumber claimed us all once more.

Naturally, Barry and the dogs slept through it all.

There was no evidence in the garden this morning of any murder, but then there rarely is.