Something to hoot about

My friend Paul made and put up an owl box in one of the large trees which border his property. He chose the spot carefully, considered the tree, the aspect and the availability of branches for youngsters to perch on when they leave the box but still aren’t able to fly. He tells me he’s seen a chick.

I’m beside myself with excitement about seeing it. When I arrive, this is what I see:

Tawny Owls - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

And then, there are two of them!

The next generation of Tawny Owls will soon be taking to darkened skies.

That’s something to hoot about.

9 Responses to "Something to hoot about"

Pat Nelson says:

19 June, 2021 at 8:21 am

Great fun to see — but I’m surprised they have such an open “front porch”. Are there no predators (raccoons, etc.) there?

Reply
1. David @ the HALL of EINAR says:
  
  19 June, 2021 at 1:09 pm
  
  Yes, they like simulated holes in trees and have few predators. A Buzzard or a Goshawk might take an owl chick but precious little else. We’ve eradicated all the bears and wolves which once lived here and have nearly destroyed all the Scottish Wildcats and are in the middle of the state-sponsored destruction of Badgers. We live in wildlife poverty, particularly when it comes to predators. Owls are victims of rat poison and habitat destruction, so it’s been a joy to see these survive.
  
  Reply
  1. Pat Nelson says:
    
    19 June, 2021 at 5:32 pm
    
    When you say “here”, do you mean Orkney or mainland Scotland (or other)? I feel sad for your lack of wildlife. I feel fortunate to live where bear, moose, bobcat, fox, fisher, deer are all my neighbors. I might not see some of them very often, but it’s always a thrill when I do.
    
    Reply
    1. David @ the HALL of EINAR says:
      
      19 June, 2021 at 11:26 pm
      
      ‘Here’ means anywhere in the UK. We’ve had a war on wildlife and left our country bereft of keystone species. I’d absolutely adore to see any of the species you mention. Wow, How spectacular would that be?!
      
      Reply
      1. Pat Nelson says:
        
        19 June, 2021 at 11:50 pm
        
        I remember reading that some places in the UK were being overrun with squirrels. That might be a byproduct of not having enough predators to keep things in balance. Here, there are so many deer, commonly seen in my yard, that a hunting season has become one of the main ways to control them now that fewer are taken by coyotes or wolves.
      2. David @ the HALL of EINAR says:
        
        20 June, 2021 at 12:00 am
        
        We killed most of our Red Squirrels, rich landowners reintroduced them, killed them again and then they caught squirrel pox, which is fatal to them, from American Grey Squirrels which rich landowners had introduced as garden ornaments. We used to have Polecats which could control the Squirrel population but we hunted and trapped them and made them rare. As soon as humans trash one level in the food chain it throws the natural world spinning perilously out of balance and we have to then start killing the next level down and so on until there’s nothing left apart from us, domestic animals for meat and pets for entertainment.
        How I’d love to see a coyote or a wolf!
      3. Pat Nelson says:
        
        8 July, 2021 at 6:26 pm
        
        I just saw this article about the last wolf being killed in England and it reminded me of our earlier exchange about wildlife. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/may/28/lancashire-artist-to-pay-150-people-to-howl-in-memory-of-last-wolf-in-england
Sherri says:

19 June, 2021 at 12:59 pm

Owls are such magical birds and always my favorites. I am 67 so my owl love predates Harry Potter books

Reply
1. David @ the HALL of EINAR says:
  
  19 June, 2021 at 1:09 pm
  
  They really are exceptional Sherri.
  
  Reply

Something to hoot about

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