The 'Little Owl' - the smallest of the Owl family

I am fortunate to have a resident family of Little Owls, local to my home. I know which tree they are nesting in, but it is so covered in ivy, that I am unable at the moment to capture them entering, or leaving their nest. They are a fascinating bird about the size of a Blackbird, which makes photographing them at close quarters a challenge, especially, in fading light at the end of the day, which is their favourite time to hunt. However, over the past few days, I have been able to photograph the male whilst hunting. 

Returning to the female (who is sitting on eggs) with a beetle

The Little Owl is most active at dusk, but also partly active by day, and at night. It often roosts by day in dense foliage or openings of holes. Sometimes perches in exposed sites such as fence posts, telephone poles, bare branches or mounds of earth or rocks. When disturbed at roost, it adopts a slim, upright position, then bobs its body up and down. If still threatened, it will fly away, or withdraw into a nearby hole.

in-flight with its prey

When leaving the perch, the owl drops down and flies low over the ground before sweeping up to another perch. Flight is undulating with rapid wingbeats alternating with gliding.

Little Owls are vocally active nearly all year, but especially around the courtship period. Males normally begin to sing at dusk, and are sometimes vocal by day, and can be heard at night during courtship.

Taking a break with another unfortunate beetle

Little Owls feed on insects (mainly beetles and grasshoppers), other arthropods, small reptiles, small frogs, small mammals and birds, as well as earthworms. Prey is normally caught from a perch by swooping down on it. The owl will often hop and move about on the ground in search of food. Surplus food is stored in caches, generally in holes.

Surveying its territory

Little Owls are territorial birds. The male sings at different perches in its territory and advertises the potential nesting site by singing near it or from the entrance. This usually starts in February, with main courtship begining in March. The male will often duet with the female during courtship. The nest can be a natural hole in a tree or pollarded willow, but preferred sites are hollow branches of old fruit trees. Artificial nest boxes are often accepted, also holes or cavities in walls, under eaves, in earth or clay banks of rivers and abandoned mammal burrows in the ground.

another favourite perch

In Europe, egg laying normally occurs from April to mid May. 3-6 white eggs are usually laid at 2 day intervals directly on the bottom of the cavity in a shallow depression created 1-2 weeks earlier. The incubation period begins before the final egg is laid and lasts 22-28 days. The female alone incubates the clutch while being fed by the male. Chicks are blind when they hatch, and open their eyes at 8-10 days old. The female broods them for about a week and feeds them herself with food brought in by the male. Young leave the nest at about 35 days, and are then fed by both parents. They are able to fly at about 38-46 days, and at 2-3 months are independent and ready to leave the parents' territory. Sexual maturity is reached before 1 year. Normally, only one brood is produced per year, but if food is abundant, double-brooding may sometimes occur.

This time, hunting on the ground

Little Owls may reach an age of about 16 years, but normally do not live that long. Many individuals are hit by vehicles when hunting at night. Severe winters with a lot of snow may also lead to huge losses in some populations.

They can be quite comical

Their habitat, is open country with stands of trees and bushes, rocky country, rocks or ruins, pastureland with scattered trees, orchards with old fruit trees, along rivers and canals with pollarded willows and other trees, parkland, and edges of semi-open woodland. Locally around farmhouses or barns, or sometimes other settlements with surrounding cultivated land with trees.

Posing for the camera

That's lunch sorted

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