Thursday 1 June 2017

Fledgling Tawny Owls







I have and will be so busy with guiding (20 hour long trip to Hedmark and Oppland yesterday and tomorrow and Sunday in the Beitostølen area) that I haven't had time for blogging so here is one I prepared earlier. I have lots to tell from yesterdays trip and expect to have much from the next two days though so watch this space....





I have been following a Tawny Owl nesting box in Maridalen this spring and have posted a few pictures of one of the adults and the young peering out of the hole. The three young left the box on 22-23 May. I suspect that one was taken by crows but I saw two out of the box on 23rd whilst guiding. They leave the nest whilst still downy and cannot properly fly but they are forced to leave their hole because it is not large enough for them anymore and they need room to flap their wings and master flight. They are accomplished climbers though and can clamber high up in trees where they are able to flap their wings and hop out on exploratory flights. Come the evening they all start screeching so that their parents know where their hungry mouths are.


On the 23rd we found them at about 10:30 with one youngster in the tree just by the box and another about 15 metres away. When I took my youngsters and missus at 20:30 then both birds had moved even further. A visit on the 25th revealed a single youngster very close to where they had been on the evening on 23rd. During all these visits an adult was watching on very attentively and on the evening of the 23rd we located both parents with a cacophony of alarming Blackbirds helping us find the second adult.
a watchful adult Tawny Owl (kattugle) 



the first youngster we found




the second youngster

who was close to the nest box

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