We hear them often.
We spotted a fat owl chick fluffy with white down sitting in an oak tree a couple of weeks ago in broad daylight.
Today I managed to capture a few shots of the same young owl …
at least I think it’s the same one. I heard it hooting right outside my studio. It was the familiar hoo hoo hoo sound that Tawny Owls make. So I set up my camera quickly then tiptoed outside.
I knew where to look. For the past few days a bunch of Jays have been going completely crazy in the Horse Chestnut tree making a real racket. It sounded to me like they were trying to frighten something off but no matter how long I waited whatever it was just wouldn’t budge. I guessed it was an owl and today I was lucky enough to see it clearly.
I didn’t want to get too close in case I scared the youngster off. These shots aren’t brilliant but you can clearly see a young owl with a larger adult. Eggs usually hatch in May so I think this owl chick could be around 3 to 4 months old.
The adult was slightly higher in the tree and camouflaged by leaves so I didn’t even spot it until the photos were enlarged. Perhaps the young one calls for food throughout the day? Who knows? There must be a reason they are out and about in daylight.
I do hope they are not in trouble like other British wildlife.
Owls are amazing. Gillian