Tawny Owls

Yesterday afternoon a couple of us were out at the local Nature Reserve checking nest boxes. We have a small number of large boxes for Tawny Owls. This years appears to be a good year for Owls, with three nests. Two other boxes have Stock Dove nests and the last box is empty. One of the boxes usually contain a Mandarin nest. Although several pairs are in the wood, none are using the boxes.

Tawny Owl, (library image) © David T Hill

It is always wise to ring adult Owls in the daytime as they are usually more docile and easier to handle. At night they can be very protective of the nest site. Indeed, one famous bird photographer lost on eye when trying to photograph Tawny Owls at the nest.