Owls

Now Autumn is here owls can be seen during the twilight swooping around the grassland surrounding the park.

Owls are avid hunters, scouring open fields for small mammals such as voles, mice, and shrews. They catch prey with ease due to their incredible long-distance vision, sensitive hearing, and silent flight. Their breeding very much depends on the abundance of food, but it normally falls between March to August. Barn Owls nest in hollows in trees as well as old barns as their name suggests and purpose-built nest boxes. They like to build on last year’s debris as they usually mate for life unless one of the pair is killed. Owls are very territorial and will defend their territory. The female lays between 4-6 eggs, which hatch just over a month later. The Owlets fledge at around 2 months old; they will spend a few days after fledging on nearby branches, with the parents continuing to care for them during this time.

Fun Facts.

Owls cannot digest bones or feathers they shred their prey with their sharp beaks and spit out the items they are unable to digest.

Owls catch their prey with they sharp talons they have four toes per talon, and one is opposable (like the human thumb) which aids them when holding onto branches and holding their prey.

Owls have tubular fare sighted eyes they do not have eyeballs and extraordinary hearing.

Owls have a 270-degree neck rotation and a 135 degree either side.

A group of owls is called a parliament

Not all Owls Hoot, Tawny Owls Hoot (twit woo), Barn Owls give out a high-pitched screech especially the males to attract females during the mating season.

Written by Lindsay Stuart