Halloween Hooters
Now we have 5 species of owl residing in mainland Britain, however at the moment of yr you could possibly be forgiven for pondering there is just one. Tawny owls make extra noise than the opposite 4 species put collectively throughout October and November. And all this additional shrieking, hooting and ‘kee-wick’- ing is down to at least one factor: territory. Younger birds are reaching maturity and on the lookout for new properties whereas older birds are preventing to carry on to their patch.
Time to depart residence
Ordinarily, grownup tawny owls are devoted mother and father. They spend a lot of the summer season months rearing, feeding and nurturing. This care even continues for weeks after the younger have fledged. However in autumn there’s a brutal change. The devotion turns to aggression and the grownup birds spherical on their once-beloved younger with sudden malice. They shriek at them, fly at them and chase them out of their territory.
A brutal change in behaviour
I’ve seen one juvenile so badly battered he had cuts from his face to his toes. The attractive tawny owl mannequin in my portray above was a sufferer of simply such a viscous assault. I used to be very dissatisfied once I noticed him sooner or later together with his eye so badly broken. And, as if this isn’t sufficient, the younger owls are then pushed from one owl’s area to a different throughout their seek for a spot to arrange residence. Even when these younger male owls hoot to attempt to entice a mate, they find yourself alerting grownup owls to their presence and get brief shrift for daring to encroach on established territory.
All about tawny owls
A while in the past, in an effort to research these secretive birds shut up for an image I used to be planning for my winter exhibition, I put a nest field up in a line of sycamore bushes about 90 yards from my residence and gallery in Thixendale, North Yorkshire. The field was taken up nearly instantly by a good-looking pair. Initially woodland birds, tawny owls have adopted new and extra open habitat, typically muscling in on the standard haunts of the barn owl. Tawny owls are extraordinarily versatile hunters, which is why they’re so profitable. Britain is residence to round 100,000 pairs. Their weight loss program largely consists of small mammals like wooden mice, however they are going to eat nearly something they’ll catch. Birds, frogs, fish, worms, massive bugs and small rabbits are all on the menu. They are going to even scavenge street kill.
Owls at my fowl desk
I made a decision to make the most of this latter behavior and commenced to place mice and road-kill pheasant on my fowl desk at night time. Extra conventional seed mixes had been nonetheless obtainable for my frequent backyard birds by day. The ploy proved extra profitable than I had anticipated. In addition to attracting the tawny owl couple, I’ve additionally attracted kestrels and barn owls. These birds of prey now feed simply 9 metres from my kitchen window, which makes photographing them a lot simpler.
I’m used to watching my wildlife topics cramped in a conceal, midway up a tree, within the freezing chilly. However now I can research these birds from the consolation of my kitchen – though my spouse used to complain that the home was a bit on the chilly facet as I typically used to maintain the window open a lot of the night time in order that I may {photograph} them. I’ve since constructed a conceal nearer to the desk – and even a tunnel to achieve the conceal in order that I can go straight from my front room to the conceal with out alerting the birds to my presence.
I’ve additionally put in infrared sensors that beep to announce the arrival of a customer. And the birds don’t appear to thoughts a 500w safety gentle that I rigged up with a dimmer swap in order that I can see them higher at night time. Illuminated, it’s fascinating to observe the owls interacting with one another. And nowadays the tawny owls are so used to me I can really rise up fairly shut.
Barn owls take cost
Unusually, the primary yr I watched it was the barn owl that appeared to be in cost at my fowl desk. It’s a a lot smaller fowl and is outnumbered at my fowl desk two to at least one. I’ve seen tawny owls attacking barn owls earlier than. However this Yorkshire Wolds barn owl should be more durable than the lowland birds I’ve watched. Not too long ago I switched on the sunshine to see the tawny owl pair sharing a put up preening each other. This tenderness is one thing I’d by no means earlier than witnessed. Usually the feminine is snatching the male’s meals from him regardless that there may be loads for each of them. Sensibly, he at all times offers manner, though not with out an offended hoot and a screech.
Evening sounds
My new ‘fowl of prey feeding station’ is now a key a part of the tawny owls’ territory they usually defend it fiercely from others. Actually this fowl desk is now properly established and I’m typically woken at the moment of yr with violent fights on our rooftop. It makes me really feel a little bit sorry for the younger interlopers who’re solely making an attempt to make their very own manner in life. However I don’t anticipate they stand an opportunity towards this well-bonded pair. On nonetheless, frosty nights, the male’s hoots ring out down the valley and are sometimes answered by neighbouring owls and interrupted by the bark of a fox or the eerie screech of a barn owl. Scroll right down to see all my work of tawny owls. For extra info and costs click on on the photographs.
