Long eared owls

[Kenn]

Can anyone confirm that I was listening to long eared owls last week in the vicinity of Castletown?
Very distinctive whoo noise,single call, not seen or heard them for 30 years, last sighting Lake District at dusk.

[phoenix]

Can anyone confirm that I was listening to long eared owls last week in the vicinity of Castletown?
Very distinctive whoo noise,single call, not seen or heard them for 30 years, last sighting Lake District at dusk.

I dont know what type of owls they are Lizz, we hear them a lot but have never seen them, was listening to them only last night. Theres something very comforting about the hoot of the owl on a still clear night! I remember the day our dog Tara died, up until then we heard them quite often, after she died we didnt hear the owl for weeks then one night a long time after Taras death we heard her one night, it was like music to the soul almost as if she was telling us Taras okay! Am I soft or what!

[doyle]

Not sure Lizz but hubby reckons it is a tawny owl we hear. We hear him nearly every night here in Castletown. Would love to see him! Apparently long eared/short eared owls or barn owls don't hoot? Could be totally wrong there but I'm sure someone will correct me if that is not the case!

[Kenn]

Tawny Owl has the classic To whit to whoo call.Barn Owl has a screech hence it's other name of Scritch/Screach Owl.
The call I was hearing was a long Hooo followed by a silence and then another call the same.

[doyle]

Sorry Lizz, said i could be totally wrong

[Kenn]

He he doyle..it's "Never to wet to woo!"

[gary.b]

We also hear the owl / owls pretty much every night. Have seen the owl back in Feb/ march time when i was out in the garden late at night - toilet training the puppy! Just thought everyone else would have seen him too?

[kas]

Tawny Owl has the classic To whit to whoo call.Barn Owl has a screech hence it's other name of Scritch/Screach Owl.
The call I was hearing was a long Hooo followed by a silence and then another call the same.

According to my bird Cds the Tawny Owl also does a single. HOOOOOO as well. It is a longer HOOOOO than the Long-Eared Owls, which are quite short and often repeated.
Hoo Hoo Hoo.

I dont know what you are hearing, I was just curious and dug out the CDs to have a listen.

Hopefully someone else will come along with the answer. I would have thought the nearest habitat to Castletown would have been Dunnet Forest. Long Eared Owls are very secretive birds and unfortunatley I have never seen one.

[Kenn]

I too have been listening to various owl hoots as this was 1 I did not recognise and found a couple of audios that seem to confirm that it was the call of a long eared owl.
They will nest is any wooded space even a small copse if there is a suitable site and although more likely to be found in a forested area .They are not uncommon but because they are the most nocturnal of all owls are rarely seen
Will be interesting to see if folks in the area continue to hear this call during the winter as this particuliar owl is only a summer visitor to the far north.

[nirofo]

Tawny Owl has the classic To whit to whoo call.Barn Owl has a screech hence it's other name of Scritch/Screach Owl.
The call I was hearing was a long Hooo followed by a silence and then another call the same.

I would say it's almost certain you heard a Tawny Owl, Long-eared Owl call can best be described as the sound that is made when blowing across the top of a bottle, a sort of short 'Hoo' or 'Boo' sound, (male)! It is a single call, not continued or wavering, may be repeated at intervals but not for long.

nirofo.

[Kenn]

Thank you niforo, that was the call, a single hoo..then a silence then another single hoo..definitely not a tawny owl as I know that call well, hence the original question.