This afternoon i sat close to the Tawny Owl who has excepted me sitting close and taking in this wonderful wildlife experience. I have filmed The Barn Owl Short Eared Owl Little Owl, but this is a very special time for me as i can be so close to a wild bird and photograph it with no rush of excitement to get the shot. I have looked into the habits and breeding behaviour of the Tawny Owl but cant find any reason why it would be so low to the ground and be out through the daylight hours. They always choose a high tree with good leaf cover, which would be the Pine trees that are close to reception. My thought that it maybe Juvenile Owl from last year, or it could be the Male from last year both which would have seen me before and therefore be familiar to them. With that in mind i am also aware that this is the breeding season and the female could be on Eggs and this could be the male who is taking food to her as she incubates the eggs.
A clutch of 2 – 5 white eggs is laid from about March onwards at intervals of up to a week apart. The female incubates the eggs, starting with the first egg, which means that the young hatch at different times and so vary greatly in size. She sits on the chicks while her mate brings food. The incubation period is 28 – 30 days. The young are fed by both parents until they are two or three months old although they can fly at about 5 weeks of age. Eventually they are evicted from the nest and find territories of their own. Only one brood a year is produced.
Its very tempting to get more pictures of the Tawny but its a wild bird and should be left to the peace that Goodenbergh offers. I will keep the blog updated on the progress and hope to post some pictures of the young when they fledge.
