Owl Facts Owl Forum Rescue Keeping Breeding Buying Hunting Owls

Hello everyone,

Is this a new forum? What a great idea!

My name is Nikki & although I don''t have an Owl at the moment & have been without one for a few years I am hoping to get a Tawny chick in a few weeks.

I have hand reared several Barn Owls in the past & kept Barn Owls, European Eagle Owls & a Common buzzard. I used to help out at a bird of prey rescue but with family commitments I haven't been involved for about 3 years now & I miss the birds.

I've just called an old aquaintance about a Tawny chick but the 4 he has have sold within hours of his advert but he has 5 eggs incubating & due to start hatching on Tuesday so I'm first on the list. Fingers crossed all goes well & I'll have my new baby in a few weeks.

I've not had any experience with Tawnys really. Does anyone have any advice? Do they differ much from Barn Owls & is there anything I need to know? Does anyone know if you can sex a tawny by sight or whether it's a DNA job?

I've decided to call the new arrival Crumble.

I'm also owned by 5 kids, 4 cats, 2 kittens, a border collie, westie & working cocker spaniel

I look forward to getting to know you all & your feathered friends xxx

Wow is this forum always so quiet?

Has it been advertised on any other animal sites? It could do with livening up. It's not much good to anyone if no one comes on or welcomes the newbies or offer support or advice. What can we do to get more people & up the profile?

Hey Nikki,
sorry it has taken a while to get back to you, I have been away on business, ( poor excuse I know )

Welcome Nikki and the tribe to the owl forum, it does at times get lonely watching the tumble weed roll between the avairies, ( however I do make an effort to look in at many times as poss, except when I am away )

You have an interesting intro there, what makes you want a Tawny owl, if you don't mind my asking? I am afraid I have no experience of tawny owls, except I have heard after the first year they prefer sitting in tree's to flying ??? But that is hearsay.

ATB, Mark x

Hi Mark

Woo hoo there is life here I think this will be a great site. Great idea & about time there was something around for us owlies!

I've wanted a Tawny for years but haven't been able to find one young enough in the last few years. The guy who I had my Barn chick from has already raised a clutch but had sold the last one an hour before I called but he has another clutch due to start hatching tomorrow. I just think Tawnys with their huge dark eyes look so cute. Ok maybe not the best for wanting to fly but great for the kids to hold & learn. I'd also love another Barn chick but they are all miles away at the moment.

I used to have a buzzard & she was beautiful & very stroppy at times. I had her at 6 days old & she could be lovely and just sit & want you to tickle her ear or she'd try to rip your arm to shreds.

I love the silly tameness of a handreared bird although it does bring it's problems too.

Ahh, ok,

I wnated an owl that did something more than look pretty, which in my humble opinion is what barn owls do best, gorgeous to watch in flight, pretty to look at, but oh so day shy. ( just my experience )

I therefore have a Bengal eagle owl, which @ 9 weeks old plays like a cat with wings, he hunts feet, balls, socks, shoes etc, a real joy to watch and play with. I did want the European eagle owl, but downsized for kids and safety reasons, good job really, because my son ( 3 years old ) plays with the Bengal and has to be kept an eye on at all times as he 9 both of them )get boisterous at times...

ATB, Mark

I had 2 Europeans a few years ago. I've just got rid of both my aviarys & then decided I wanted another bird (typical woman style). We're moving in a few months so next year I'll be getting a few more birds but for now a nice small tawny (& a barn if I can find one) will do me nicely. The new house has a 2 acre garden so plenty of room for aviarys. I think a european and snowy may be on the list. At the moment though I'm here with the children, dogs & cats on my own during the week as hubby works away & I'm just after something small that I can get flying down the garden.

Working for the rescue I worked with european, bengal & eurasian eagle owls, a snowy, barn & tawny plus buzzards, harris hawks & a lanner falcon. I loved them all & their own individual personalities. I prefer owls to raptors & would like a collection that I can fly across the fields at the back of the new house.

Well done you Nikki, I think rehab for birds of prey is great work
Sounds ideal, the new set up, who said I was green with envy?

I have a harris hawk booked for myself later this year, I hope to have some sort of obedient owl by September
If I had my way I would have a red tail, european, cb as well, each good for their own thing, but because I have friends with HH and the HH is the most sociable of them all, that is my next and probably last bird of prey unless something goes wrong,

Atb, Mark

hi,
i have 7 tawny owls,
some are avairy birds paired together which i bred 2 youngsters form this year,
2 are flying birds,
one of which is absolutley a beauty ( female)
she came in as a week old rescued bird,
i hand reared her at home and she flys in the demonstrations, and inside school halls etc,
she follows me on in the woods almost as good as an harris hawk,
They are not the easiest of birds to train and are quite stubborn,
but like any bird, you get back what you put in.
To me the tawny owls are the best owl there is,
you can have a look at her on our website
Turbary woods
her name is knowley.
My other favourite is Vic,
he was my first ever rescue and is a silver/gray phase, which makes him even more special.

My barn owl used to 'follow on', stick him on a telegraph pole and walk across the fields, he would wait for you to get half way then fly to the end of the field and wait, or fly round you as you walked. My Bengal started showing signs of 'following on' yesterday, flying ahead of me and waiting I quite agree, you get out what you put in and I fly my owl at least 1 hour every day, usually 2 hours walk/fly, even light rain, though I stick to the cover of trees.