Any one like Barn owls?

[Pablo]

I spotted this fella out yesterday evening. Looks a bit young and obviously a late fledgling. He flew off to safety ok and didn't appear injured.

While doing some research I came across this excellent Barn owl cam here.

Pablo.

 

[Toddy]

Well spotted
Boy, does that fluffy look weird though......kind of like a fungus

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Deleted dude 7861]

Before anybody else gets in here - 'Yes but I couldn't eat a whole one!'

Seriously though they are fantastic birds and great pics you are lucky to have a close encounter like that

 

[Paganwolf]

I had a barn owl called No no ( due to him shaking his head when he had the hump) they are the most beautifull and silent of birds, he flew like a ghost absolutly awesome to fly loose. Probably one of the pets ive had i miss the most, I rescued him so he was old when i got him but he lived a long old life, he used to sit on the back of my sofa bless him, good memories. Fantastic pictures Pablo nice one thanks fo sharing. Also that looks like a juvinile male, females have darker speckled plumage.

 

[British Red]

Hmmm a bit. We are absolutely over-run with owls here right now - I have no idea how many are on the farm but certainly upwards of a dozen. They have laready started tonight and it'll be non stop for the next eight hours - noisy beggars. We have a pretty good mix of tawnies and barnies and one, last night, that I couldn't see with the weirdest call - a soft two noted ululation (sort of lulululululululu) - anyone knowledgeable with a clue what that might have been?

Red

 

[john scrivy]

a group of us were away recently in an essex wood we had an owl i should say owls visit every night at about three in the morning --Mr & Mrs Owl they land in different trees and they start chatting has any one heard owls chattin --- Hello where are you -- Im over here in this tree -- What you doin _-- Im lookin down at them people over there -- Shall we see if we can wake them up -- OK lets chat for a bit and then we will go back home still anyway it was brlll to hear and we were in there wood

 

[CLEM]

My absolute faverite of all birds and have been since I was a kid,when I got to actually seen one wild I was absolutely thrilled I tell you! It was pure magic

 

[Barn Owl]

I get to monitor and ring them.

 

[commandocal]

very nice, is he growing mold or something? bit fluffy

 

[shona]

Great shots!

Thanks fot the web cam link - I've just been watching 2 owls. It's fantastic to feel you are so close to them.

.

 

[Deleted dude 7861]

Hmmm a bit. We are absolutely over-run with owls here right now - I have no idea how many are on the farm but certainly upwards of a dozen. They have laready started tonight and it'll be non stop for the next eight hours - noisy beggars. We have a pretty good mix of tawnies and barnies and one, last night, that I couldn't see with the weirdest call - a soft two noted ululation (sort of lulululululululu) - anyone knowledgeable with a clue what that might have been?

Red

Do you have little owls there? I do here and one I know for years has used a hole in a tree not far from my house.

 

[British Red]

I've not seen one matt but I would not be surprised - we are blessed with many many raptors in a variety of forms

Is that a Little Owl call then?

Red

 

[British Red]

Having got my birdsong CDs out and hunted around, I'd suspect it was a short eared owl. the sound I described is very similar to that on the RSB site here

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/s/shortearedowl/index.asp

Red

 

[Burnt Ash]

Having got my birdsong CDs out and hunted around, I'd suspect it was a short eared owl. the sound I described is very similar to that on the RSB site here

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/s/shortearedowl/index.asp

Red

Yes, I was going to suggest a short eared owl as a possibility.
We have lots of tawnies in our wood and barn owls from the neighbouring farm. This year, one tawny has been very vocal in a patch of scrub set-aside across the road during the daytime. I can't recall hearing tawny owls in the middle of the day before.

Burnt Ash

 

[swyn]

The Owls have done well here this year. I agree that there seems to be more noise from them than usual. Most of the bird breeding got off to a very poor start with the cold snap in May/June. The Swallows lost their first brood then and chucked the little bodies down onto the stable floor. They subsequently raised two more broods, the final learning to fly as the majority of adults were leaving for their migration flight.
Our theory is that the noise is coming mainly from the late hatching owlets as the adults are not feeding them any more.
The mice /vole population has also exploded as there are little ones running around in the water meter pits which I have not seen before at this time of the year.(November)

I have a series of 35mm pictures from Nov1983 showing a young owl in my garden in the snow which came early that year. I'm not sure if it survived then.

Swyn.

 

[Deleted dude 7861]

I've not seen one matt but I would not be surprised - we are blessed with many many raptors in a variety of forms

Is that a Little Owl call then?

Red

I'm no expert on bird calls only the ones I see I know . I haven't seen anything other than a Barn, Tawnie and Little owl here though. Sounds like a great population there on your doorstep. As far as the little owl they certainly have spread over the past years I was surprised to see them when I first came here.

 

[SOAR]

I like Barn Owls, A fiend of mines Dad had one as a pet, it used to fly around the house then sit on the beams looking down at you.