Thursday 4 December 2014

A kestrel in one house, a tawny owl in the other

The tawny owl is nocturnal so it is often heard calling at night, but much less often seen. In the daytime, you may see one only if you disturb it inadvertently from its roost site in woodland up against a tree trunk or among ivy. Look for pellets below roosting places
Val says  For a couple of nights we have heard noises which we thought must be a large rat in the roof. Often late at night and early morning we hear owls very close by and think one comes onto our roof. Suddenly putting two and two together I think we have a tawny owl nesting in the roof of this house. We will see what develops. We actually joked last night that Mr Rat better watch out with Mr Owl coming, how interesting.
Having researched tawny owls they will eat our moles, rats and mice but might also eat the little birds we encourage and  if they stayed to raise young they can be very aggressive.
This species is fearless in defence of its nest and young, and strikes for the intruder's head with its sharp talons. Because its flight is silent, it may not be detected until it is too late to avoid the danger. Dogs, cats and humans may be assaulted, sometimes without provocation. Perhaps the best-known victim of the tawny owl's fierce attack was the renowned bird photographer Eric Hosking, who lost his left eye when struck by a bird he was attempting to photograph near its nest. He later called his autobiography An Eye for a Bird.
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