Tawny Owl Breeding

The Tawny Owls nested in an old box that has lost its wooden base and there is just a wedge of organic matter (I think Red Squirrels have also used it) that is blocking the bottom but also hanging out and not looking very solid. A crowd of angry Fieldfares first alerted me that there were probably owls in the wood and as I approached the nest box from behind it was clear that the thrushes attention was focused at the box. I was expecting to see a youngster sticking its head out so was very surprised to see an adult. The owl was clearly as surprised as and flew into a tree about 50m away where it continued to be mobbed by about every passerine in the wood even including Wrens. The front of the nestbox was covered in bird poo and the Fieldfares had clearly been dropping bombs.

I could hear at least one young squeaking in the box but it would a whole week before I saw a young. That day I found a large young outside of the nest and a much smaller young sticking its head out of the hole. I had previously thought I had a young calling from the woodland near the nestbox and suspect now that one young had left the nest at least a week before the other. Subsequent nocturnal visits revealed the sound of two begging young.

22 May - the nestbox covered in Fieldfare (gråtrost) droppings which they launch as bombs against their enemies the owls

the adult who had been sitting in the nest hole when I discovered her

23 May - when I entered the wood and walked past the nest box I would often hear (the female?) giving its guarding call which would sometimes allow me to locate her although the source of the source was very difficult to pinpoint

29 May - a relatively large young found out of the nest box and had probably been out for quite a while

a slightly macabre sight at the nest box. A bird had clearly been brought back for the young but its leg had got stuck in a crack in the wood and it must have been dragged down (and then eaten?) with its foot remaining stuck

adult (mum?) keeping watch

I went to get Jr to show her the baby owl and when we returned less than hour later we took a long time to find it. It had moved about 10 metres and was very low down in a bush playing dead. As you will see in the video it fell over and just remained hanging off the branch

I then returned in the evening with Mrs OB and we took ages to locate the young which I am sure was the same. It had moved at least 50 metres

the same day and the smallest young finally peeked out of the nest hole

 

30 May and still in the nest. After this date I only heard the young begging for food on nocturnal trips