Tawny owl

[accipter]

Here's one for you tawny owl people out there why doe's a tawny call some times in the day, doe's anyone have a definite answer I have tried to find the answer but failed to find it anywhere, I thought of disturbance by someone or something, maybe territorial or calling for or to a lost mate but I am not sure of any of these, I have heard this at all times of the year and by the way it is a tawny and not just someone mucking about. thank you.

[captaincarot]

this time of year they call because the new males are spreading out and establishing territories

[accipter]

Thank you cap, I have just rechecked my notes and found the last time I heard this was the end of april, at 10 .30 am I also found a tawny feather and pellet under what could have been its roosting site tree. still territorial do you think.

[captaincarot]

yeah they can start very early in the year establishing territories.
the first time i heard it this year i was in the midle of the peak district knee deep in snow.

then they start again around now till early to mid november

that was the day i ended up surrounded by about 50 goldcrests searching on the ground for food all around me.

[accipter]

Thank you cap, I have asked lot of people this same question but have never really had a answer I suppose it doe's sound strange to some people, what would a nocturnal bird be doing calling in the daytime but there always a answer you just have to know it. thank you again. Alan.

[aeshna5]

Originally Posted by accipter

Thank you cap, I have asked lot of people this same question but have never really had a answer I suppose it doe's sound strange to some people, what would a nocturnal bird be doing calling in the daytime but there always a answer you just have to know it. thank you again. Alan.

But flipping the coin, diurnal birds like Robins are often heard singing at night, so works boith ways!

[accipter]

Very true I remember me and my wife walking back from some do we had been too at 1am in the middle of winter last year and there was this little robin singing his little heart out in our apple tree.

[gentlefern]

Ah now it all falls into place! My son, my friend and I did a bit of wilderness camping August Bank Holiday weekend. We were camped fairly close to a very old oak on the edge of a wet meadow (we found a dry patch).

We were woken just before 6am to the sound of a male Tawny calling from a branch right above our tents. Man he was loud and boy did he go on and on and on until eventually a distant female answered him. Now this was fine with me, I'd slept soundly and was thrilled to be woken up by a Tawny, more than thrilled, cockahoop too be honest But my poor friend had brought her "visiting houses" sleeping bag instead of her "sleeping out in a tent" bag. As a result she was frozen stiff and miserable. She admitted later that had just been on the verge of screaming obsenities at the owl when the female finally answered him. She revived and regained her sense of humour after I made a nice hot cuppa and a sausage bap.

I had assumed it was a male calling his female mate, but now I know it could have been a dispersed male looking for a mate.

[accipter]

Had almost the same thing happen to us,only this time it was a barn owl setting on a 4 foot high post about 10 feet from our tent doing the blood curdling call not nice to be woken up too in fact at first we thought it was someone being murdered.

[rossy]

read a recent article about birds living in our gardens , and that artificial lighting was confusing them, and had them thinking it was day, thats why they sing at night, but the birds that live in the countryside dont have the same problem, also it tires them as they need their me time, and thats why some look a little scruffy. rossy.