tawny owl

Tawny Owls (Strix Aluco) are probably the most common owls in the UK; or at least heard the most characterised by the distinctive call’s between the male and females.  Tawny Owls primarily feed on small mammals like Wood Mice and Bank Voles, but they’ll also eat rabbits, moles, birds, beetles, and even fish. They nest in tree cavities or use artificial nest boxes, laying a single clutch of 2-3 eggs in late winter or early spring. Fledging occurs around 5 weeks of age, and young owls continue to depend on their parents for food for up to 3 months after leaving the nest.  Chicks can often be a giveaway with their distinctive cry for food which can be early as it starts to get dark in the evenings or early mornings.  The chicks will start ‘Branching’ where they leave the nest quite early to explore.  The parents will feed them wherever they are which can often initially be quite low down and before the foliage starts to grow properly on the trees between winter and spring. 

I have many Tawny Owl photographs from over the years both of adult birds and chicks.  Below is an assortment of my favourites.  The image to the left is a particular favourite of a male Tawny who had just caught a blackbird.  It was a wet morning and he sat in a little shaft of sunlight eating some of this bird before flying up to one of his hungry chicks calling for food in a nearby tree.  I was able to capture the moment he took off with the half eaten bird.