"Rod" wrote in message
...

"Sacha" wrote
She was calling back from the other wise of the valley, as if
encouraging them to join her and start hunting! It's so funny to hear
them
at around 3pm, too - none of that ghostly, shadowy night bird thing
about
these!
--
Iirc they are diurnal birds - I certainly saw plenty of them when we were
living in N. Yorks where they were more
common. Even had a close encounter like David's - in this case I was
leaning with my back on a wall waiting to
catch a photo of some small birds in a hawthorn in the roadside verge when
I became aware of a presence by my ear,
turned my head and was eyball to yellow eyball with this bird.

They are only partially diurnal.
In Surrey, there was a group which frequently woke us at 2.00 in the night.
I once used a large parabolic sound mirror to follow and record them. If
anybody had been around at that time of the night, they would have had me
certified, running.
around in the midle of the night in pyjamas with clumsy weird-looking
electronic equipment.
Here in Wensleydale, there is a group in the vicinity, also hunting and
calling in the night, although I confess I have not yet heard them this year

Franz