More on birds from Woodcock Wood : Part 1 Tawny Owls: the earliest of our regulars to nest
by Chris Saunders, 31 May, 2021, 0 comments
Last year Tawny Owls nested successfully in one of two boxes sited close together in the quietest part of our wood. They are traditionalists by habit, and will continue to use the same nesting site year after year unless they are disturbed. The pair will re-bond during autumn around their nest site, and eggs will be laid early to late March. We were expecting to see them use one of the boxes again this spring, and our trail camera frequently showed them inspecting the box.
We captured the shots below in October, and were confident they would nest there again this year. It’s during these early stages of nesting that Tawny Owls are most sensitive to disturbance, and inevitably the owls were given a lot of competition by the squirrels for their rights to the box. Also, regrettably, on a couple of occasions we disturbed the female owl which prompted her to leave the box in daylight. Read more...
