Young Tawny Owls

Tawny Owls getting a head

They are affectionate creatures spending a long time preening each other (us too, if given the chance!).

            On fine weather weekends we take them to sit on the gate where they draw a lot of attention from passing traffic. Both children and adults are pleased to be able to handle a creature not often seen; only heard!

             Apart from the well known Twit  Tawoo call, they make a variety of sounds, one of our favourites being the excitable greeting we get when returning home!

            There is also a "warbling" sound, which got our neighbours convinced a rare bird had arrived in the area. We presume it is either a mating call or a territorial one- if anyone has any information on this we would be most interested.

            We have about 6 breeding pairs close by, who call out and "visit" our 3. They arrived here since Odin, Minerva & Fathom took up residence!

        Apart from different calls they can also change shape! One example is a stretching of the body to make themselves look taller and thinner which acts as a camouflage. We witness this when they spot a cyclist, they don't understand humans on wheels!