Surfbirds News

Because of their largely nocturnal habits and their secretive behaviour, owls are one of the most difficult of bird families to survey. The British Trust for Ornithology needs your help to find out where these birds breed and how well they are doing. Hearing a Tawny Owl hooting in the autumn is a sure sign that these birds are setting up a territory, this is when the distinctive ‘kee-wick’ calls are most often heard. Spring is the time of year that these owls start to lay eggs and it will be towards the end of May before we start seeing fluffy owls recently fledged from the nest. You can help the Bird Atlas project by recording the breeding status of Tawny Owls in your area.

Barn Owl © Paul Goode, from the surfbirds galleries

Along with Tawny Owl, we’re also looking for records of Barn Owl and Little Owl. Together, these three common species of owl are under-recorded for the survey due to their nocturnal and crepuscular (twilight) behaviour. Barn Owls tend to be most active at dawn and dusk and the sight of one hunting over rough grassland during the summer months is the sort of evidence we are looking for. You may even have a pair nesting on a nearby farm and can confirm local breeding.

Little Owl is the smallest of the owls that are found in Britain and can often be seen sat on fence posts, farm machinery or on top of farm buildings during the daytime. By recording any Little Owls that you see, you will help the BTO get a clearer picture of their distribution.

The Bird Atlas project started recording for its second breeding season on 1 April and we’re looking for records of these widespread yet secretive owls. Recording the breeding evidence is a vital part of the Atlas fieldwork – you need all your detective skills to hand! Listening for birds regularly calling, looking for birds carrying food or chancing upon a recently fledged youngster are all ways you can contribute to the Atlas.

You can enter your records online at www.birdatlas.net (register and follow links to Roving Records) or by requesting a form from BTO. In addition to the common owls, all other species you see in the breeding season can be recorded, and by gathering records over a four-year period we will be able to compile comprehensive species maps and start to investigate changes in distributions since the last Breeding Atlas in 1988-91. For information on how to record breeding evidence see, http://www.bto.org/birdatlas/taking_part/bevidenceowls.htm

Key facts

Tawny Owls are largely a bird of woodland but can be found in parks and large gardens. First clutches laid: 23 Mar (5 Mar - 4 May), number of broods: 1

Barn Owls are a bird of farmland and can often be seen hunting over the rough edges of agricultural land. First clutches laid: 6 May (30 Mar - 4 Jul), number of broods: 2

Little Owls frequent farmland and parks interspersed with older trees. First clutches laid: 23 Apr (11 Apr - 8 May), number of broods: 1(2) (Tawny and Little Owl are both absent from Ireland.)

For more information on all of these owls visit www.bto.org/birdfacts