On my way to the start of the Kennet Valley 200 yesterday morning, just as it was getting light, an owl about 70 metres ahead of me, flying above the roadside ditch. I got a bit closer to it over the next 200 m or so, then he was attacked by a magpie, shortly joined by a second. After a lengthy episode of avian animosity, the owl darted across the road and took refuge in a hole in the bottom of the hedge, followed by the magpies, which both stood guard in front of the hole as if waiting for the owl to emerge. As I got nearer, however, they sensed my presence and flew off across the field, pursued by the owl.