Tawny Owls

So I’m not the only one worried about the lack of “Twit Twooing” going on around my garden this winter.

That is if you can call it winter – the season seems to be upsetting all manner of wildlife with birds not sure what is going on…..

The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) have noticed this in their Garden Bird Watch and are appealing for help in monitoring these well loved birds of prey.

The BTO news release for December highlights this and below is an extract from it:

This is the time of the year when Tawny Owls can be frequently heard, and even seen, in gardens. This winter, however, fewer people have been reporting them to the British Trust for Ornithology’s (BTO) Garden BirdWatch. Could this be a result of a poor breeding season? Keep your eyes and ears out for these mysterious nocturnal visitors and help us keep track of their populations.

Tawny Owls are vocal towards the end of the year, as young disperse to find their own territories and pairs communicate with their classic ‘tu-whit, tu-whoo’ duet. So far this winter, however, this activity has been scarce with Tawny Owls only being reported by 3.6% of BTO Garden BirdWatchers, the second lowest figure for this time of year in a decade.

Tawny Owls are vocal towards the end of the year, as young disperse to find their own territories and pairs communicate with their classic ‘tu-whit, tu-whoo’ duet. So far this winter, however, this activity has been scarce with Tawny Owls only being reported by 3.6% of BTO Garden BirdWatchers, the second lowest figure for this time of year in a decade.

These results come just weeks after Tawny Owl was added to the Amber list of UK Birds of Conservation Concern due to fears of a long-term decline. While it's hard to monitor nocturnal birds, there are indications that the number of breeding Tawny Owls in the UK has fallen by around a third in the last 25 years. Worryingly, the reasons for this trend are not fully understood.

Clare Simm from the BTO Garden BirdWatch team commented, "Data from the BTO’s Nest Record Scheme show that Tawny Owls had a poor breeding season, perhaps reflecting the lack of suitable prey available. This, combined with the findings from Garden BirdWatch, is disturbing news. If you have space in your garden, you can help Tawny Owls by leaving some grassy areas unmown as this will encourage small rodents to visit. If you have large trees it is also worth considering providing a Tawny Owl nest box."

However, here are a couple of pictures of a Tawny Owl (Strix aluco) taken in my own garden a short while ago – TWOOTZ does not yet market Owl Ready Mice so it would be a good idea to heed the advice from the BTO about leaving a bit of unmown grass if you have the space.