Owls AND knitted fruit!

I was about to launch into a new post about an hour ago when I heard the most dreadful caw-cawing outside. I went to investigate and I was met with a scene from The Birds (the film by Alfred Hitchcock). Birds eveywhere, swooping and flying around a tree in my neighbour's garden. Well, I exaggerate slightly. I rushed back to get my camera but only caught the tail end of the mob and look what they were doing:

They were going for this owl - you can just see a magpie and blackbird to the left of the owl. I think I might have run upstairs to the attic to take this shot.

Like an intrepid reporter I ran downstairs, donned my shoes, FORGOT the binoculars and I went to investigate. I thought the owl might have flown off by now but it was till up the tree when I got over the lane and I realised on closer inspection that it was a baby:

See how fluffy it is and it was totally happy for me to watch it from the ground:

The magpies came back to peck at it every now and again so I went off to phone The Barn Owl Centre to ask them if I should do anything. Ofcourse, I was hoping they'd say 'go and save it Mrs and bring it to us' but what they said was that I just needed to leave nature to run its' course and that hopefully the parents would come back for it.  It's such a sweet fluffy thing and I hope Mummy and Daddy come back soon although I wish the children could see it when they get back from school.

I think this baby actually came from a nest in a tree in our garden. Do you rememeber that I saw an owl one morning flying to this tree? Well, about two weeks ago we were having a cookout (a lovely word I've learnt from my American readers) in the garden and we saw this owl again, circling the edge of our garden. Tom said "I wonder if it wants to get to the tree and we're stopping it". Lo and behold as soon as we moved away the owl flew to the tree with a mouse in it's mouth which it deposited in the hollow and off it went again. The hollow was full of chirping and we realised that there was a nest up there. Since then I have caught glimpses of the male but never the babies or Mum. It seems as if the babies have left the nest now and one is stuck up a tree. They're Tawny Owls by the way. Keep your fingers crossed please - I don't want it to be pecked to death.

So what else have we been up to when we're not out in the garden trying to catch glimpses of owls and babies in the drizzle. Well, on Friday morning I was invited to a knitting group and I needed a quick project to finish in an hour or so. Looking through my wallet of patterns that I've saved from Web I decided to knit a carrot. I didn't realised then that I would spend the entire weekend knitting other fruit and veg to keep this carrot company. It became quite addictive as I went from one fruit/veg to another and was a great thing to be doing while it poured with rain all weekend:

Incase it's not totally obvious you have - a courgette, tomato, carrots, aubergine, pear, strawberries and an orange in the middle. They look really nice in a basket on the table (but the light was bad so here you have in a basket in the garden):

If you want to make some yourself the patterns are here and here. The courgette is actually the pattern for a cucumber with a knobbly top and the pear is the pattern for the aubergine with slight improvisation. I'm not clever enough to make up my own patterns but I can improvise a bit. They're really quick and easy to make and just that bit more challenging. So, why not have a go yourself even if you don't have any children that will play with them. My children, after the initial - 'WHY are you knitting vegetables Mum' just keep picking them up a squidging them especially the aubergine.

I haven't got much more to say for once and I want to go and see if the owl is still there. Meanwhile take a look at this lady's knitted fruit and veg - she's the one who wrote the strawberry pattern and inspired me in the first place. Do you know that her strawberries have been viewed 12,276 times.  Is that a record for a craft photo I wonder?

OK I'm off to don raincoat, boots and grab binoculars cos it's pouring again.......................

Comments

[Simone]

I hope that little owl is safe. He looks all fluffy and vulnerable up that tree. I wonder why the other birds were pecking at him? I love your woolly veg!

[stephanie s]

oh how jealous i am. i don't think the owl is in any harm, the magpies and crows just like to harass but something that big they won't peck at. i would imagine it is just on the lookout for the parent to bring it dinner.... how very nice that you got to see it.

[julie]

Your post reminds me of the story of 'How the Owl Became' by Ted Hughes where all of the other birds mob the owl because he tricked them and ate them one by one in the dark but this little one certainly looks too sweet to deserve such persecution! Hope it is ok. I love your knitted fruit and veg - it looks wonderful in the basket.

[theundergroundbaker]

Those knitted vegetables are very cute, and I'm not usually into little knitted cute things.
Is the owl still around? and if so, have the birds calmed down?

[Di]

That owl is so cute!!! I would want to rescue it too!! It's funny but just today I found that pattern for the knitted vegetables and thought how cute they were and here you have them all knitted up!!

[Christiane]

I think that owls fledge early and then are fed by the parents for weeks after they leave the nest as the babies learn how to fly and eventually hunt. Love the fruits & veggies - I gave my mother a strawberry for Mothers Day and will send her a carrot next.

[Amanda]

What a sweet baby owl! I'm hoping it makes it too. How lucky you are to have an owl nest in your tree!

Thanks for the links to the fruit/veg patterns! I've been wanting to knit a carrot, for some odd reason.

[marie]

Oh Simmy, the knitted fruit and veggies are great!

I hope that your baby owl survives - I would have wanted to do something to rescue him too.

Marie x

[Harriett]

Those fruit are wonderful! Put a bell in them and they make great cat toys too.
The owl is so pretty. Hope it finds its parents too.

[little jenny wren]

I sat down this morning thinking about those lovely knitted strawberries and strawberry pincushions and what do I find fruit and veg everywhere, your blog, Suse at Peasoup, Vicki at Turkey Feathers and there is probably more I just haven't found them yet. I had planned on making a bowl of strawberries using the knitting pattern, Dannielle's pattern for sewn ones and the Martha Stewart one I saw for the little pincushions. I think they would look cute all in a basket together. That little owl is so very sweet, I hope it's OK.

[tracie]

I love owls. I saw a tawny frogmouth owl outside our classroom window and it made my day. So lucky to see a baby. I love the fruit by the way.

[Ali]

My neighbour had a hand reared barn owl which he used to fly - it was the most amazing thing, utterly silent in flight. And it looked big, but when it landed on your hand, it was incredibly light - all feathers. I hope your baby makes it.

And I am in love with your knitted fruit.

[Denise Ridgway]

please can we have the rhubarb and banana recipe ... lots of rhubarb in my organic box this week.

xx

[Ash]

Love your veggies and I hope your baby owl is safe now!

[Jo]

Hope the baby owl is ok, love the veg, I still havent had time to knit a strawberry but I do spin alot!

[kristin]

your photo up top is wonderful. you can see that he has more fluff than feathers. adorable. hope the owl family is doing alright now.

love the knitted veggies in the garden - great way to combine knitting with the summer season.

[Sonya]

I know what you mean about the strawberries - loveliness. All your veggies are lovely as a collection and owls - wow, a seldom seen sight even in the country around here.

[Sue]

I hope the baby owl is okay and doesnt get attacked too much. We have magpies here, with very sharp beaks, and they swoop on our cats and even us too. I love your knitted fruit and vegies, and my partner thought that they were real. Hee hee!

[Marie]

Oh, I do hope that the baby owl is ok. Nature can be so cruel at times and it is very tempting to want to step in and help it along. I loved this little glimpse into your back garden...I love your knitted garden of vegetables too! How wonderful!

[sal]

wow that's quite incredible - 'knocks my blackbird fledgling into a cocked hat'! hope he's okay now, it's very hard to let nature get on with it!

[Matt]

Quite jealous of your owl. Excellent pictures. We need updates. Thank you for sharing with us.

[Candace Pfau]

Yes, they do attack the owls. They do not want them in their neighborhod. I wonder ever why.
I have baby screech owls. I have been taking their photographs. Surely they are ready to fledge. The poor mother cannot even fit in the house.

[suse]

I have plans to knit the whole set too. In the meantime, I've put my strawberry on a hat, and then made vegetable hats until I get around to knitting the actual vegetables!

[Ella]

Thanks so much for the pattern links. i'm not much of a knitter but these are sure to delight in my home. i love the earthiness in the colors you chose.