Hello,
Just wanted to share this amazing sighting I had this evening (in a secret location in Yorkshire!)
A very close up view of 3 long eared owl fledglings bobbing up and down on a branch squeeking to each other.
One of the parents was nearby, so I quietly and reluctantly moved away as not to disturb the dusk activities of this little family.
I have never seen a long eared owl until now. .......this has made an otherwise bad day a fantastic one.
Does anyone know how rare or otherwise these owls are in the UK? Am I correct in thinking that the "ears" are actually feathers and that the ears are small holes on either side of the head?
On the subject of owls, I have spotted quite a few little owls this year, having never seen these before either.
Good year for owls? I wonder if last year there was an increase in small rodents and more rough grass available for breeding?
Bye,
Daisy
Hi Daisy,
You're right about the ear tufts being feathers - they work like crests on other birds. The real ears are cavities on either side of the head, as you say.
I'm sure someone else will tell you how rare long eared owls are - can't help you with that - but I envy you for seeing them!! It's good of you to keep the disturbance down when you're near them, and for keeping the location secret!
:-)
Andy
Seriously thinking about trying harder!
You are so very lucky! The Long-eared is quite widespread, fairly rare but very, very seldom seen by people who do not spend nights wandering in dense woodland!!! They are very shy, very well camouflaged and when approached pull themselves up tall and thin looking like part of a tree.
As Jackdaw explained the "ear-tufts" are used very similarly to the crests on other birds expressing moods and anxiety levels. The true ears are in the same place as ours - slightly below and behind the eyes but they are not small holes or even cavities but much more complicated. In fact they are the largest (comparatively) ear openings of all the owls and quite complex giving the bird the ability to adjust the amount of sound reaching the incredibly sensitive ear drums etc. I'll show you a photo I took of the ear of our tame Long-eared "Huw".
In case it's not clear, he is looking to the right and his eye is just above the forefinger. His tufts are flat indicating he is not too happy but he is just the sweetest little guy and lets me demonstrate his ears for educational talks though he gives me a "I wish you wouldn't!" look afterwards!!
Long-eareds are found right across Europe and even far up north into Siberia. They are known as "Common Owls" in Italy. and sometimes are found in fairly urban areas in winter. They are one of the few owls that do move around a fair bit in winter though it is hardly "migration".
Hope that helps! Keep a lookout in the area where you found your little guys and you may be lucky again. They stick around the same area and return year after year to nest in the same spot.
Good Luck!
Jenni
God gave us two ears and one mouth for a very good reason!
Interesting to see that the facial disc feathers are connected to the membrane walls of the ear cavity (if it's not a cavity, I don't know what else you'd call it!). This feature looks as though it would change the shape of the canal/cavity and so even the frequency/direction of the sound coming into the ear. Thanks for posting the photo Jenni - really fascinating!
I'm pretty sure I've heard long eareds at night in the wilds of Shropshire, but as to seeing one - well, pigs might get cleared for takeoff!
JD
Owls have their each ear placed 'wonkily' on each side of its face so that just by hearing, say, a mice, they can judge distance and direction :)
'Dip a dee dah, dip a dee ay, we're not seeing any birds to-day...'
Yes Jackdaw it is a cavity - what I wanted to get across is that it is not, as some people suppose a gaping hole in the head but a complex opening. Sorry if I didn't explain properly!
The flap forming the main covering is feathered and these feathers help direct sound into the ear.
Actually the "facial disc" would be better refered to as the "ear disc" as it does the same job as our outer ear. Just like many mammals such as dogs who wiggle their ears when listening, owls can alter the shape of the "ear disc" or face to help focus on a sound.
Many of them, in particular the Barn Owl, also often move their heads to and fro to focus on sounds. They are not "dancing" as people describe it and I believe it has little to do with sight and seeing.
Many owls do have ears that are asymmetrically positioned on the head but in the Long-eared this is not as pronounced as say in a Barn Owl.
It is, as you say a facinating subject and one which I really enjoy studying.
Cheers
PS. I am sure you probably are hearing them - I had someone from near Hereford approach me this year with a recording of one he had made on his mobile phone. He hadn't a clue what it was but had a gut feeling it was an owl of some sort! Actually the sound on the RSPB bird identification page is pretty good to help you make sure.
Unknown said: Actually the "facial disc" would be better refered to as the "ear disc" as it does the same job as our outer ear. Just like many mammals such as dogs who wiggle their ears when listening, owls can alter the shape of the "ear disc" or face to help focus on a sound. Many of them, in particular the Barn Owl, also often move their heads to and fro to focus on sounds. They are not "dancing" as people describe it and I believe it has little to do with sight and seeing. Jenni PS. I am sure you probably are hearing them - I had someone from near Hereford approach me this year with a recording of one he had made on his mobile phone. He hadn't a clue what it was but had a gut feeling it was an owl of some sort! Actually the sound on the RSPB bird identification page is pretty good to help you make sure.
Hi Jenni,
"Ear disc" is a good term to use - never read or heard that before.
The old wisdom on owl "head bobbing" was that they were using parallax to check distances with their eyes - is this old hat, and is it close to being proven to be something else?
I don't actually live in Shropshire - I was on holiday there years ago - lucky to get a tawny owl here in Surbiton!
Wow. What a great photo! That is not how I expected the ears to be. It does look extremely complex. I guess it would need to be.
I went back this evening for a minute or so, (again, keeping my distance and a very low profile). The whole family were sitting on branches just looking at me. Luckily they did not seem alarmed. I moved past them at some distance in a slow relaxed manner, just looking at them out of the corner of my eye.....and left them to it again. The strange thing is, they seem very "tolerant". However, I kind of feel as though I am not supposed to be "in their world" and environment and do not feel entirely comfortable viewing them because of this, but if they seemed alarmed or disturbed in anyway I would not have gone back to their woodland again this eve.
I think I will resist the urge again and leave them to do what they do.
By the way, one of the young is almost pure white. The others are brown. The white one is a bit smaller than the others. Is this colour due to baby down/feathers?
Well "ear disc" as far as I know is just a phrase coined by me to emphasise the true use of the feather construction that forms the owl "face". It is generally true that the owls that use their ears more than their eyes for hunting have more clearly defined "discs". The theory that the head weaving is a visual activity is quite valid I think but in my observations I find that the owls that do it most - Barn Owls of several species - are the very owls that use their ears to get a sense of their environs more than their eyes. I think it is likely to be a combination but I feel the hearing part of it is often overlooked.
Humans do tend to overlook the importance of smell and hearing in other animals (and in our own young!) and in the case of owls we forget that they can hear a mouse's heart beating at about 5 feet. Great Grey Owls can locate Lemmings and Voles running around under 18inches of snow entirely by listening to the sounds and following them while on the wing so that a strike through the snow is frequently successful! :-O
pretty clever eh?
How wonderful for you - just brilliant! The "white" one will be the youngest still showing a lot of his baby down. Owls start incubation their clutch of eggs within about 24 hours of laying the first egg. They will continue to lay at about 48hour intervals until the clutch is complete (2-8 depending on species). This means that the owlets hatch at intervals of 48 hours and the resulting difference in age can show up not only in size but in the feather development. Long-eareds have creamy white baby down.
There is a book (fairly old) about Long-eareds by someone whose name just won't come to me tonight. He studied them extensively about 30-40 years ago watching various individuals over extensive periods. He describes building a tower beside one nest to photograph the birds without disturbing the sitting female and in fact touching her on one occasion!! So although they are generally very shy I think you can win their trust with the
kind of behaviour you are adopting. However disturbance is best kept to a minimum so....!
Just treasure the sights you have had! Lucky you!!
PS - I think the book is by Derrick Scott
Daisy,great that you got Long Eared Owls up here in Yorkshire,we have a couple of breeding pairs locally in locations that are kept very secret because like most birds of prey,both day and night,they are very vulnerable to persecution.
Pete
Birding is for everyone no matter how good or bad we are at it,enjoy it while you can