Tawny Owls 2025

Despite hearing singing Tawny Owl’s (kattugle) on pretty much every nocturnal spring trip in Maridalen I had not managed to find any occupied nest boxes (I have never come across a natural nest hole in Maridalen). I still expected that nocturnal trips in June would reveal the presence of begging young but it is nice when one has a nest to follow. Just in the nick of time I did find a nest and it was purely by chance. One day I heard the sound of a begging young from a place where Tawny Owls were the absolute last thing on my mind. I knew there was a Goldeneye nest box in the tree next to me and looking at I could see a crack in the side and through the crack I could see the white fluffy feathers of baby owls!! They were clearly close to leaving the box and soon one, then two and finally three appeared at the opening 😊

I was able to follow them as over the next few days they one by one left the box and then perched in bushes and trees nearby. At night they made a heck of noise to let their parents know they were hungry but also called during the day. Very surprisingly I never saw an adult during the day even once the young were out of the box when the adults are normally close by and give warning calls when a threat (me) gets too close. I also didn’t see or hear an adult when I spent close to half an hour by the young one night. I had hoped to witness a food delivery in the thermal imager.

The nest box was on the edge of water and I had worried that a young could end up in the water on one of its maiden and uncontrolled flights but I didn’t expect to witness it. On a visit the day the last young left the box what I believe was the youngest reacted to our presence by flying out of its chosen tree (this has never happened with such small young before). It flew, although flapped is a better description, over the water and splash landed about 3m out. We were ready to wade out to save it but it had everything under control and using its wings as paddles made it back to land quickly. It then walked under some bushes and a few hours later was 2 metres up in the same bush begging for food so no harm seems to have been done.

The position of the nest in an isolated line of small trees was probably the reason I never saw the adult as they would have been in larger trees further away but presumably with a view of the area where the nest box was. I had hoped that this would also mean that the young would stay close to the box for quite a long time allowing me to easily find them and observe their development aswell as my hope of witnessing the adults bringing food. However they quickly moved away. Within a couple of nights they had moved close to 50m to the north and come to the end of the line of trees. Another couple of nights later though they had moved the other direction and were 100m from the box having crossed at least 60m of open land (or perhaps water depending on the route they took). It surprised me how quickly and far they moved and makes me wonder why they move and how they keep together. Do the adults encourage them or is it instinct?

They then moved a further 100m to an area of larger trees and perched higher up than before. There were now only 2 young that I could find and when they call at night it is easy to find them. I still failed to witness a food delivery or see an adult but may have heard one, the noises of which are audible in the final video. The young settled down in this area and were easy to find in the daytime.

By 11 days after they had all left the nest box they had moved another 300m which involved another long stretch over open land or water. It was in this new area which was more open woodland that I finally got to see an adult fly in with food and to also hear the young receiving the food. We could also see the young practising their flying skills.

Subsequent visits revealed no owls suggesting they had moved at least another 300 metres into a more extensive area of woodland.

the day I found them after hearing them calling and not quite believing my ears

out of the nest on a wet day

the oldest of the young on a wet day and most of the white downy feathers have been lost

after the unfortunate and unintended swim

in the thermal

me and a baby Tawny

having moved to larger trees 5 days after all the young had left the nest box

it was beyond cute to find them huddled up like this

this was in the evening of the 11th day after all the young had left the nest box

12 days after all the young had left the nestbox

13 days after leaving nest box

three videos from the evening of day 13 the first being the adult arriving with food:

when you are out at night you meet other creatures too