The Gardeners enjoyed a fascinating illustrated talk on British Owls with a range of owl calls from Chris Sperring. He clearly illustrated Shakespeare’s big ‘Twit-twoo’ mistake! This is not a single owl calling but the ‘Kee-wick’ call of a female Tawny Owl being answered by a male owl hoot.

We can all recall more birds in our local environment during our childhoods. For every generation the memory is of less birds! Owls are declining as with all our native wildlife. Some 65% of British Wildlife has gone through habitat loss and the consequent decline in food availability. A small recovery in owl population happened during the policy of ‘set aside’ when farmers were paid to leave land fallow, an indicator of the positive impact of habitat diversity. Chris suggested gardeners might encourage slugs and snails as food for owls.

Owls are characterised by their forward-facing eyes with five times the power of human night vision. Their disc shaped face serves as a sound dish, focusing sound into their asymmetric ear openings. They use sound to hunt more than eye sight. Their mouths have a large gape so that they can swallow small rodents they catch whole. Their food is pulled apart in their stomach and bone and fur ‘owl pellets’ become a ball in the gizzard to be regurgitated.

Chris took us through the species of owls found in Britain today. Eagle owls have been reintroduced after the success of increasing numbers in Europe particularly Sweden. Tawny Owls are more numerous, nesting in woodland and hedgerows with good trees. The loss of woodland and the understorey in remaining woods has reduced their food supply. Tawny owls stay in their established territory. The youngsters are chased off by their parents when their voices break in the autumn and have to find a new territory of their own. Short Eared Owls have a wide wing span and live in more open grassland country. They depend on unmanaged grassland and the small mammals who live there, nesting on the ground in areas of longer open grassland.

Long Eared Owls have declined and frequent the interface between woodland and grassland and are found at Priddy Mineries and may nest and breed on the ground in Orkney and Shetland. Little Owls sing day and night. They were introduced by gardeners from Holland in the late 19th century. They have no facial discs and hunt more by sight than sound unlike other owls. They nest in old trees and boxes provided by humans, in grassland and orchards. Barn owls are popular in the UK and are birds of open countryside who have declined since the 1930’s with changes in farming practices. They are found in the Norfolk Broads the Somerset levels and Galloway. They respond to local food availability and can have several broods in a season.

It is a pity that legislation means that Chris could not bring an owl to meet us. To increase the owl population the Hawk and Owl Trust are working to encourage the putting up of owl boxes.

AGM Wednesday, 15th February 7pm. Next talk Wednesday, 8th March 2023. 7.30pm at Kilmersdon Village Hall. See website for further details: www.kilmersdongardeners.org

Trisha Jordan