Two tawny owls are sitting in a tree just a few feet from my garden studio.  I spotted them about a week ago when the leaves started to fall. They sit close together completely still and snoozing for most of the day. Occasionally they stretch their wings and have a good old feather shake and preen. 

My friend Laurie knows a lot about owls. He says that they are most likely to be youngsters driven out of the nest by the adult birds.
This is typical behaviour apparently. Tawny Owls encourage their offspring to become independent. They have to find their own territory now and it looks like they are sticking together in our garden. Good for them… they’ve picked a lovely spot!

Last autumn I left a pile of twigs and leaves under the hawthorn hedge near their perch. A family of voles have set up home there so the ready food supply could be what attracts the owls.
After a long day snoozing and scratching they set off to hunt at dusk each evening. We take our coffee outside to watch them. They don’t seem at all concerned about us… that’s probably because they have been here, perched just above our heads all summer watching us!