Owls

[Tugmistress]

What owls live up here please?
I have seen the odd barn owl around, and i'm pretty good at recognising their shape at night as i used to keep some, but i just opened the front door to have a fag and there was an owl on the fence direct in front of me, it looked very similar in shape but way too dark in colouring to be one, was wondering if the little owl was up here too?

[Kenn]

Most probably a Tawny Owl as it was dark, if it had been during daylight hours then possibly a Short Eared Owl as there are a few about.
Keep your ears open for a kewik or a low hoot which are the noises a Tawny Owl makes.

[goldenguernsey]

was 3 little owls on the road tonight from thurso to wick, just sat in the snow! made sure my wheels went either side o them so I knew I didnt hit them in the landrover but worried about them all night since as a lower vehicle could well have

[Tugmistress]

Thanks lizz, i thought tawny owls were quite bulky? this was definately slender. I've never heard any owl calls up here so dismissed the tawny but i guess it could be?

[Backlass]

Little Owls don't occur in Caithness, so it would be really unusual to have sightings here. The ones we normally see are Tawny, Long-Eared and Barn, with Short-eared Owls seen during the day. The RSPB website has good recordings of the calls as well as pictures.

[onecalledk]

thanks Backlass, I have just been on website and have now identified the 2 owls that have been in the trees at the bottom of my garden for the past week ! they are tawny owls, each night just before 5pm they start calling to one another in the trees. Stood and watched them swoop out the trees a few nights ago, a marvellous site. The bird identifier is just brilliant on that site, we feed birds in the garden and its great now being able to identify them!

K

[doyle]

We have Tawny Owls in the trees at the bottom of our garden too. Love to hear them. Managed to see one with the spotlight a couple of weeks ago. Where in Castletown are you onecalledk?