http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article1094704.ece
Is it a faulty alarm? No, it's the return of the scops owl
By Cahal Milmo
Published: 22 June 2006
They move under cover of darkness, shadowy figures laden with hi-tech
surveillance gear who creep along footpaths while exchanging map
references.
Residents of the rose-covered cottages of Thrupp in Oxfordshire may
have been forgiven for believing they had a unit of special forces in
their midst on nocturnal manoeuvres. But the reality was a more
comprehensive invasion - by an army of twitchers.
For the past 10 days, the night-time peace of the community, some eight
miles north-west of Swindon, has been shattered by a large influx of
birdwatchers hoping to a catch a glimpse of a rare visitor to the
British isles.
A scops owl, barely the size of a starling and not seen in Oxfordshire
since 1858, arrived in the village as long ago as April. Its
high-pitched call, which is repeated every few seconds from dusk until
dawn, was at first mistaken for a faulty alarm in a building owned by
Thames Water. An engineer was flummoxed until a local ornithologist
pointed out the likely origin of the noise.
But any disturbance created by the nocturnal bird has been overtaken by
the arrival of up to 500 bird enthusiasts after news of the owl reached
twitching websites. The influx has at times trebled Thrupp's
population. Villagers have complained of disruption caused by dozens of
cars on crowded streets and the late-night chatter of twitchers
returning from the stand of chestnut trees where the owl now lives.
Shane Bushell, landlord of the Boat Inn, said: "There has been a
constant stream of birdwatchers since last weekend. They start arriving
at about 5pm and stay until after midnight. We have known about the owl
for a number of weeks but word has only just got out to the birding
community. At times there have been hundreds of them. In my opinion,
they are a strange bunch."
The quarry of the twitchers, birding enthusiasts who travel hundreds of
miles to catch a glimpse of a rare bird, is an "overshoot" - a specimen
which has flown beyond its normal summer breeding area. The scops owl
is a common summer resident of Mediterranean countries, normally
venturing no further than central France from its wintering grounds in
north Africa. It is a rare visitor to northern Europe with an average
of less than one sighting every year.
Ian Lewington, the official bird recorder for Oxfordshire, said the
latest visitor was emitting its nightly hoot out of frustration. "It is
trying to find a mate so it is continuing to call every night. This
poor thing isn't going to have much luck in Oxfordshire though," he
said.
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