Saturday 26 October 2013

Tawny owl

I've already shared a photo of this wonderful tawny owl that has come back to its roost in Colinton Dell, Water of Leith after being chased off a couple of years ago by the local jackdaws.

I took the photo above last week, it's a clearer photo and you can also (if you compare it with this photo) see how much the leaves have started to turn.

The owl seems to spend a lot of time at the entrance to its roost hole like this, giving keen-eyed passers-by a rare opportunity to see this nocturnal bird.

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10 comments:

Optimistic Existentialist said...

What a majestic creature the owl is. I've only seen one in my entire life.

TexWisGirl said...

what an awesome sighting!

Little Miss Titch said...

Beautiful Owl,xx Rachel

Lucy said...

Very lucky to see a tawny, I hear them often but don't remember seeing one, Tom saw one swooping down over the garden by torchlight when he was taking Molly out one night when she was little, and he was quite worried for her!

Our falconry friends had a story about one of their birds disturbing one and how fierce it was. They say the darker an owl's eyes the more nocturnal it is, so snowies and eagle owls and even barn owls are happy to be out in quite light twilight, and can be flown all day, but tawnies are never flown by falconers.

Caroline Gill said...

I'm jealous (of sighting AND photos!). A superb sighting, Juliet. We see Barn Owls swooping over the Suffolk fields, but I have hardly ever (to my knowledge) seen Tawny Owls.

Ms Sparrow said...

I love the owl sitting so stoically in his/her cave entrance.

bunnits said...

What a wonderful photo.
I've been hearing a great horned owl at night again. Glad they're back in the neighborhood

Anonymous said...

How amazingly blessed you are to be able to see such a beautiful creature.

Anonymous said...

Wow, I just love this photo - I'm always on the look out for owls but hardly ever see them.

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

You're lucky to have that owl closeby...so glad he came home,