Owl on Ebsworth

I think we have a new resident on the street! Has anyone else heard / seen the owl? There has been a lot of twit-twooing the past few evenings!

I’m very excited about this!

I read on the Friends of Blythe Hill that one had been spotted on Blythe Hill a few days ago - I’ve never seen an owl in the wild before and would love to!

I believe some have been heard before on One Tree Hill over the years.

He’s definitely about, and very vocal! Sounds like its coming from the direction of Grierson Road, maybe the Nature Reserve? Either way, he sounds very close by!

Owls are my favourite birds. Last July I got a bit too excited when an owl experience showed up at the Horniman Musuem.

Any idea what type of owl?

Not sure - am going to go for a wander this evening to see if I can locate where the call is coming from. Will let you know!

We’ve heard it too! Very exciting!

If it was indeed a “twit-twoo” that OP heard, that’s likely a pair of tawny owls.

Yes Ive heard him. We live on Grierson Road. I woke up at 2am last night and it was hooting. I couldn’t go back to sleep as I was so excited

That does it - am going to go for a wonder up Blythe hill and then loop round to see if I can hear anything!

Good luck.

Success! Heard it in Blythe Hill, tracked it down and saw it perched on a tree, and it then flew off. Tracked it down again and been sat under it for around 30 minutes listening to it and trying to get a photo - I will see if I can get something better but I can only make out it’s silhouette with the naked eye, so I’ve butchered this photo and too dark to autofocus etc etc anyway this is an owl not a escaped ewok from star wars I promise!

OI000723-015184×3888 8.86 MB

So maybe more than one owl? One to go ‘twit’, the other ‘twoo’?

I only heard and saw the one, but quite possible there are two around.

Amazing! I’m just going out for a wander now to see if I can track the sound!

Nice! Not a bad photo at all! Looks definitely like a tawny owl to me.

Obligatory RSPB link:

For anyone who wants to go and see it (and I am no expert - this is the first time I have ever seen a wild owl) what worked for me was first off just listening - the sound is fairly regular and then finding the tree. Then trying to find it in the tree. This is the tree I took the photo of it in - can you spot it?

20200123_1619282505×3340 3.74 MB

And this is what it looks like before I played around with the image - ie you are just looking for shapes and sometimes a bit of movement.

OI0007315184×3888 7.25 MB

This is so exciting!! What time of day did you take these pictures?

I think around 9.15pm to 9.45pm . If Tawny owls as most people are suggesting, I think they are strictly nocturnal .

Be nice if there was a clear night with a nice bright moon, might have another go if that happens, but might never see it again of course - was very lucky to see it yesterday!

Cool! Might try my luck tonight then

Hang on - is this also a cat?

I see your cat and raise, one face of Baby Jebus

Barking

No cats were seen in the making of this photo!

I hear an owl regularly on Lowther Hill - suspect we have a resident in Brockley Hill Park - maybe the fella we have pictured. Lovely and makes me (a country kid) feel very nostalgic!

Not sure if it’s resident but yes this one went from Blythe Hill to Brockley Hill Park so I suspect uses these areas and I guess One Tree Hill, Garthorne and Devonshire nature reserves etc are all good habitats!

An owl also appeared in January 2016 - just after David Bowie died. I thought it was particularly spooky that the owl came back just when Terry Jones died, given the shared Labyrinth connection.

Was it like a person doing a low (but loud) whistle? If so, then it’s a male. You may even have heard a female, too, without realising. They sound a bit different, more of a high-pitched noise, kinda like “ke-wick” rather than “hoo”.

Used to enjoy evenings sitting in the garden out in the sticks when I was growing up and calling to them.

Not sure if this video will upload (only useful for the sound you can’t see it in the tree on it) but if so you can hear it.- edit it worked, what do you think, male or female?

Yeah, definitely a male tawny. For comparison, here is the female:

Would have searched for this last night, but not sure my wife would have appreciated being woken up by owls in the bedroom…

Edit:

They can get noisy when they’re chatting each other up

Thanks - yes that’s a very clear difference!

I loved listening to them! The female definitely has more of a screech & seems to be more vocal when they are together

At least they do not screech like a barn owl…!

My husband just said the owl sounds like someone is being attacked!

The owl is back on Ebsworth tonight, and he sounds pretty chipper!

I didn’t hear it yesterday, but I’m genuinely excited to keep an ear out this evening!

A very very loud owl appeared in Whatman this week. It sounded like it was sitting on our window sill! Having googled owl calls this one sounded like a tawny owl and not a barn owl though.

@Charlotte_E and @Suze what sort if time in the evening did you hear the owl?

It was between 10pm and midnight on Monday evening. I think it may have been two, as it sounded like calls to one another. Very close by for sure, almost sounded like they were in the garden!

About 2am I think on Monday morning. It sounded like it was on our window sill

It was around 10pm last night (Tues) too. Lasted for about 15- 20 mins

Your mission, if you choose to accept it is to get pictures.

This message will self destruct in 20 seconds.

Hey it’s been 25 minutes and your message is still here!

But if you look up thread, we do have some pictures (and sounds) already

Ha! I think you read me too well!

I’m not sure this time as I imagine there will be more foliage but I’d just like to hear it again. That said I was hoping on a clear night with a full moon it might be a lot brighter.