They're back!
We are delighted to present to you the return of the live Tawny Owl cam streaming from the Hawk and Owl Trust's Sculthorpe Moor Reserve.
We are delighted to present to you the return of the live Tawny Owl cam streaming from the Hawk and Owl Trust's Sculthorpe Moor Reserve.
We're sure this feed will prove as popular as it did last season as it follows the journey of Sculthorpe's breeding pair of Tawny Owls.
Earlier in 2021, we announced that eggs were laid in March; one of these two eggs successfully hatched and the branching stage was reported in May. A few lucky visitors spotted the perched owlet deep in Sculthorpe's woodland (See image below). Tawny Owls lay a clutch of 2-3 eggs, but unlike some other species will only have one brood.
On one of our annual glow-worm walks in July the owlet was noted boldly exploring its territory on the reserve and was tracked by a thermal imaging scope during one of these late-night events. The Owl remained with us for most of the walk, keeping to the safety of the trees but remaining highly inquisitive!
Image: Katy Smith
In late Summer and Early Autumn, sightings dwindled as anticipated. In August and September Tawny owls typically begin distribution. This is where the owlets get their adult voices (their plumage is already mature at this point) and the parents begin to assert independence (time for the juvenile to leave home!) and the now mature owlets move on to find their own territory.
August and September is also the time of year when Tawny Owls become notably more vocal as they call out to other owls (and if you have ever had the joy of being close by - seemingly the entire world!) commenting on their territory. Male Tawnies hold claim to the stereotypical "Hoo Hoooo" call and the females respond and even duet with the male with a "Quewek!". A fantastic resource for hearing these calls can be found on the BTO website: https://www.bto.org/our-science/projects/project-owl/learn-about-owls/tawny-owl
This amber-list species has approximately 50,000 breeding pairs and we are delighted to have a successful pair at Sculthorpe Moor. We are happy to be able to present the live feed once again!
Help support Tawny Owls by Adopting a Box: https://hawkandowltrust.org/payments/adopt-a-box-membership
Watch the Sculthorpe Tawny Owls live: https://hawkandowltrust.org/web-cam-live/tawny-owl-live
