Egluntyne Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 As I walked up the garden at 7ish to shut the Eglu doors, I heard a rustling sound in the branches of the trees at the bottom of the garden. Stood still, a bit spooked to be honest, when an enormous owl swooped down in front of me before circling round back over the trees. In all the years I have lived here (23), I have never seen an owl in the garden....after all we are only a couple of miles from the city centre and on a busy main road. It was quite a thrill. I suppose its an every day occurrence for those of you lucky enough to live out of the city. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 Wow Egluntine, that must have been amazing! We are in the country (well, medium size village surrounded by fields!) but have never seen an owl that close I often hear rustling in our trees, and it does sound quite spooky, but I think it's just the wood pigeons roosting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 Hi Egluntine! How spooky. I often get a bit freaked out when locking the girls up at night We hear an owl most nights but have never seen one here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnieP Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 How wonderful Egluntine! We had a pair of barn owls who used to hunt our paddocks. It was magical, but they disappeared about 6 years ago We have an owl box in a vain attempt to encourage them, but alas, a pair of collared doves have taken a liking to it for the last 3 years. Do you know what sort it was? We are lucky and see loads around here. The trick is to be outside as day is arriving or leaving if you want to catch barn owls. Later on, it'd be Tawny or little owls, but as you said yours was big, I expect it was a tawny? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 I had never seen a wild owl until last summer. Like you,I was walking to tuck the hens in & I heard it hoot,then it swooped down over me. It was a great experience & we now know that the owl lives in a big tree at the end of the garden,& we see it quite often. In fact it can get quite noisy some nights,& I swear it sits on our bedroom windowsill & hoots as loud as it can I have lived here for around 16 years & we are rural,but had never seen an owl before Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted February 3, 2007 Author Share Posted February 3, 2007 I think it must have been a Tawny because of its size. it was very dark so I didn't clock its colour. Him Indoors informs me that he has often heard an owl hooting late at night. Looking it up on 'tinternet I discover: 1. In Europe t is the bird most likely to cause injury to humans as its flight is silent and it comes at you with its talons ready to claw your face. You often don't hear it until it is too late. Eek! Am I going to have to buy a fencing mask now? 2. The "too wit too woo" idea was an invention of Shakespeare's! In fact the sound they make is more of a hoo hoo hooooooo. You learn something new every day! 3. It can kill a rat. O good!. Hope it gets the resident in my compost bin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Looney Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 1. In Europe t is the bird most likely to cause injury to humans as its flight is silent and it comes at you with its talons ready to claw your face. You often don't hear it until it is too late. Eek! Am I going to have to buy a fencing mask now? Blimey - it's like something from a horror movie I love to see owls, definitely none in my garden though For Christmas my mum bought me, OH and brother a half day raptor experience where you can go spend time learning about owls and birds of prey....and hopefully have a go at wearing that big glove and getting them to fly from and to it! Haven't chosen a date yet but am really looking forward to it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted February 3, 2007 Author Share Posted February 3, 2007 For Christmas my mum bought me, OH and brother a half day raptor experience where you can go spend time learning about owls and birds of prey....and hopefully have a go at wearing that big glove and getting them to fly from and to it! Haven't chosen a date yet but am really looking forward to it Wow...sounds fab. I'd love to hear all about it when you've been. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen & co. Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 Wow, a bit of a shock, but a wonderful surprise too (if that makes sense?) karen x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnieP Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 The "twit, Twoo" (if you are lucky enough to hear it), is actually TWO birds: One does the Twit, the other the Twoo.... If you hear a screech, then its a barn owl, but they hunt at different times of the night anyway. Barn owls are crepuscular (oh, how I LOVE that word). Tawnys are nocturnal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 We have a hooter & a screecher I think the one I saw was a Tawny, & it was really silent in its flight,& came very low over me I think I may borrow The Hubbys motorbike helmet from now on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cate in NZ Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 Wow, what an amazing experience Egluntine, although it sounds a bit scary too. I've never seen an owl in the wild, but when I was living in Wales as a child there was a huge tree at the bottom of our garden and I'm sure that there were owls in there because I remember going to sleep to the sounds of hooting owls They're magnificent creatures though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronze Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 The "twit, Twoo" (if you are lucky enough to hear it), is actually TWO birds: One does the Twit, the other the Twoo.... If you hear a screech, then its a barn owl, but they hunt at different times of the night anyway. Barn owls are crepuscular (oh, how I LOVE that word). Tawnys are nocturnal. I was going to say that about the conversation. We have barn and tawny owls around here. I see th ebarn owl in the evenings hunting at certain times of year but I only ever hear the twooing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 Whats the betting its the males that are the"Twits" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted February 3, 2007 Author Share Posted February 3, 2007 Whats the betting its the males that are the"Twits" Very good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnieP Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happymama Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 I'm very lucky where I live (for the moment, anyway) as we back onto fields and the 'Tees Forest Walk' with a wood quite close. The owl play at night can be quite loud and intense. We hear a cuckoo in the spring, too, and woodpeckers. And foxes, rabbits, lost pheasants and the odd deer. Oh,and herons in the garden ponds (and they had the cheek to blame my CAT!). The foraging's quite good too, so dog walks are very rewarding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 We drove back from AnnieP's today (name dropper ) and saw a barn owl (i think) sitting on a fence! Beautiful white face! It took off and flew across the field. Stunning to watch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnieP Posted February 4, 2007 Share Posted February 4, 2007 Is that the one I have had stuffed and mounted there Christian? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted February 4, 2007 Share Posted February 4, 2007 We have been lucky enough to see a Barn Owl since we moved here. It hunts over our land but doesn't live in our barns unfortunately.. We also hear a tawny but have not seen it yet. Two miles away, where we used to live, we used to see and hear a Little Owl. We've got used to the scary things outside here now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel (& Paul) Posted February 4, 2007 Share Posted February 4, 2007 you mean Jazz.............. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted February 4, 2007 Share Posted February 4, 2007 Jazz is only scary in that you can't see her at all in the dark Carl is more scary - he looks like a terrorist when he goes out to check on the animals Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel (& Paul) Posted February 4, 2007 Share Posted February 4, 2007 so terrorism AND avian flu on your farm then Lesley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted February 5, 2007 Share Posted February 5, 2007 Oh Yes! it all happens here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffie Posted February 5, 2007 Share Posted February 5, 2007 We hear them but don't see them , how lucky egluntine pleased it didn't have it's talons out... BBx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
