owl id please

[cherrywaff]

this owl and partner have returned to the same location as last year can anyone tell me what it is, i did think it was a short eared but maybe its a little owl i cant judge size at a distance and this was a way off.
thanks.

(sorry about the quality of pic )

[Gill Catton]

I'm afraid I can't really make out the owl to help....

Short eared owl would be less likely and little owls really are very small does this help? Is there a reason why you've not considered tawny owl?

[Feldspar]

The type of habitat does suggest Tawny.

[LoveT]

From what I can make out it looks like a Tawny to me...

Little owls are really little (about the size of a starling), and short eared owls, although bigger are still rather small.

Enough twaddle from me - I'm going with Tawny. There's something about the face/head shape that says 'Tawny' to me... in which case it'll probably be a Golden Eagle

Thea

[RoyW]

I'd have to agree with Tawny - unless all those branches are a lot thinner than they look then it's not a Little!

It's probably safe to rule out Short-eared simply because it's sat in a tree. SE Owls are found in open grassland or moorland type habitats and are more likely to be seen on the ground than in a large tree (although they also like to sit on fence posts and on the tops of small trees in open areas.

As Thea says it also has the look of a Tawny.

Roy.

[cherrywaff]

hi thanks for your help, the reason i didnt think it a tawny is ive seen one of them flying around the field in the day time and also they are often on the ground and fly up into the tree for some of the time. i read that tawnys arent usually seen in the day and short eared and little owls are. it is a rather short stubby tree that they sit in.
thanks for your help..

[RoyW]

I've had a closer look at your photo and I could actually see this as a Little Owl (it depends how thick those branches are!), unfortunately theres not a lot of detail in the picture.

Your description of the behaviour would fit Little Owl better than Tawny - you can often see Tawnies during the day (with luck) but they aren't likely to be actively feeding. Both Little and Tawny Owls will drop to the ground to catch invertebrates such as bettles an worms, these form a larger part of the diet of Little Owls though.

Roy.

[Nightranger]

Originally Posted by RoyW

I've had a closer look at your photo and I could actually see this as a Little Owl (it depends how thick those branches are!), unfortunately theres not a lot of detail in the picture.

Your description of the behaviour would fit Little Owl better than Tawny - you can often see Tawnies during the day (with luck) but they aren't likely to be actively feeding. Both Little and Tawny Owls will drop to the ground to catch invertebrates such as bettles an worms, these form a larger part of the diet of Little Owls though.

Roy.

I am not so sure Roy...the head shape has a narrow V down the middle and the little owl's head is not wide enough to show this feature. The bird is also keeping its eyes closed so that it does not attract attention from mobbing small birds, which is typical for tawny owls in daylight. Little owls can be quite bold when they are out of the hole in daylight because they like to sunbathe whereas this birds tucked well in again, to avoid attracting attention.

[RoyW]

Originally Posted by Nightranger

I am not so sure Roy...

I'm certainly not sure! My first impression when looking at the phto was Tawny. Little are more likely to be active in daylight though - and I still can't see any reason to rule out Little from the photo.

Originally Posted by Nightranger

..the head shape has a narrow V down the middle and the little owl's head is not wide enough to show this feature.

I don't think that the photograph is clear enough to assess this + proportionately I do not think there is any real difference in the size of the head. Little Owls do not show the 'facial disc' that Tawnies have so the darker forehead between the eyes can actually look wider.

Originally Posted by Nightranger

The bird is also keeping its eyes closed so that it does not attract attention from mobbing small birds, which is typical for tawny owls in daylight. Little owls can be quite bold when they are out of the hole in daylight because they like to sunbathe whereas this birds tucked well in again, to avoid attracting attention.

This is also typical for a roosting Little Owl.

In the abscence of additional photos I think that this one may need to be decided by Cherrywaf. Take a look at some pictures of Little and Tawny Owl and see which fits your bird!

Roy.

PS. Apologies for disecting your post Nightranger - I wanted to address each point seperately.

[cherrywaff]

thanks both for your help i saw them again this morning, and they are almost certainly bigger than a starling more pidgeon size. the tree is a way off so something starling size wouldnt be noticed i wouldnt think.. i will try for better photos , i took my monopod with me today to see if that would help . but the sun didnt come out til too late for me.. better luck next time )