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Eagle Owls in Yorkshire?? (1 Viewer)

wolfbirder

Well-known member
I have checked previous threads and read about several birds (escapes I presume) now breeding somewhere.

Is this still highly sensitive? Just wondered if there was anyway could get to see them. Have the RSPB been involved in setting up a watchpoint?

Any info would be appreciated, buit not of course if it is deemed too sensitive still.
 
..............................the BBC film on the Eagle Owls breeding in the North of Britain will be shown on Wed 16 Nov at 8pm on BBC 2. It will also be heavily featured in the Nov BBC Wildlife Magazine which goes on sale towards the end of this month.

SE
 
I've had the pleasure of seeing one close up, was in a photography studio in London though - lovely birds (and big).
Must put this on my callendar to watch.
 
Gramayr said:
I've had the pleasure of seeing one close up, was in a photography studio in London though - lovely birds (and big).
Must put this on my callendar to watch.
True story. A few years back, I was walking to pub when I spotted a group of kids crowding round something. When I got close I saw they were looking at a guy sitting on the wall with an Eagle Owl on his wrist! What a bird!! The kids asked him if he had any other 'pets'? " - yer, I gotta Python"... The guy said to me (being the only adult there) "hang on to bird while I go and get the snake". So he gave me a gauntlet and passed the owl onto my arm! So here I was with this HUGE bird digging it's BIG talons into me - it's face just inches away from my face. Surreal experience I can tell you! By now ther were around 20 people surround me and the owl, everyone asking question like "where did you get it" - "err... well, it's not mine..." The guy seemed to gone for ages and I began to wonder if this was a Candid Camera stunt? Sweat was dripping off me now. Then the bird started doing the classic head side to side movement - it had caught sight of a Yorkshire terrier passing by... It tried to launch an attack but it was firmly attached to the jess which was firmly attached to me! I can honestly say that I'm one of the few people who's been beaten about the face by the wings of an Eagle Owl :t: The guy came back with the Python and started showing it off, I pleaded with him to take the owl back which he did after disappearing again with the snake.
I went to the pub :smoke:
 
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Gramayr said:
When the owl in the studio started beating its wings, I exited to the darkroom lol

i got to stroke an eagle owl this year, i kept my fingers away from it's beak though! - and those eyes and talons are even more impressive when viewed close-up B :)
 
Do people welcome the idea of eagle owls establishing themselves in Britain?

I know there is some doubt over whether they are native - but I would say they are a fantastic addition to our birdlife assuming the impact on other birds of prey is not too great
 
Amarillo said:
Do people welcome the idea of eagle owls establishing themselves in Britain?

I know there is some doubt over whether they are native - but I would say they are a fantastic addition to our birdlife assuming the impact on other birds of prey is not too great

i certainly welcome it.

although they will kill and eat anything they can get there talons on. i have heard there has been occasions when peregrines have been swiped from there roost spots by eagle owls, as both birds tend to prefer rocky cliffs to nest, an eagle owl would make a swift snack out of a peregrine.

they also take foxes, but tend to stick to rabbits, so farmers should welcome these owls on there land.

they are ferocious killers, so yes other birds and mammals will suffer if they are nesting/hunting nearby, but they are awesome birds.
 
Amarillo said:
Do people welcome the idea of eagle owls establishing themselves in Britain?

I know there is some doubt over whether they are native - but I would say they are a fantastic addition to our birdlife assuming the impact on other birds of prey is not too great

Hi,
I believe Defra have been monitoring the impact of one of the EO pairs.
Apparently there will be a decision whether or not they should be removed from UK countryside....
The pair we watched this summer seemed to have a constant supply of rabbits & Jackdaws.
Its a fact that EO's can eliminate other species & especially owls from their territories, but, im glad to say we saw Little, Tawny & Short-eared Owls all within half a mile of the EO site.
Steve.
 
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London Birder said:
like many others I've heard about Eagle Owls in the North but know very little about them, how many pairs are there ?

i have heard of at least 3 sites, although i cant say where.

the site i visit has produced 21 young in the past 10yr, so there are no doubt more owls spreading around.
 
wolfbirder said:
I have checked previous threads and read about several birds (escapes I presume) now breeding somewhere.

Is this still highly sensitive? Just wondered if there was anyway could get to see them. Have the RSPB been involved in setting up a watchpoint?

Any info would be appreciated, buit not of course if it is deemed too sensitive still.
Eagle Owls are all too easy to obtain and have become a fashion item in some areas where E E owls are leashed onto peoples shoulders. Many escape from captivity or simply released time to bring back LRK`s to stop the exploitation of birds of prey
Rainey
 
StevieEvans said:
Hi,
I believe Defra have been monitoring the impact of one of the EO pairs.
Apparently there will be a decision whether or not they should be removed from UK countryside....
The pair we watched this summer seemed to have a constant supply of rabbits & Jackdaws.
Its a fact that EO's can eliminate other species & especially owls from their territories, but, im glad to say we saw Little, Tawny & Short-eared Owls all within half a mile of the EO site.
Steve.

But surely Eagle Owls live alongside many other owl species on the continent? I can't see them having any more than a very local effect on other birds of prey.

Lets hope that as in the case of the wild boar, DEFRA are so slow to decide what action to take that by the time they reach a decision its too late and the birds are too well established to remove.
 
StevieEvans said:
Hi
whats LRK ?
SE
Hi Stevie,
LRK`s are Licenced Registered Keepers which sadly was fazed out in the 90`s. It did have restrictive controls on who could keep certain birds of prey. Now anyone, without knowledge or experience can get hold of any bird of prey no licence is required and Eagle Owls very often come up in adverts FREE TO GOOD HOME !!!!
People get them on a whim and either see the bird become sick or more normally aggressive and then they are often just released.
Rainey
 
So how many do people think are out there?

Sounds like 2 or 3 known pairs plus offspring, and potentially dozens of other single escapees. Given the seemingly high reproductive rate and survival of the young, it would appear they have a good chance of establishing a viable population

Thoughts?
 
But surely Eagle Owls live alongside many other owl species on the continent? I can't see them having any more than a very local effect on other birds of prey.

Yes, The Local effect is sometimes the eradication of all other competitors...


Lets hope that as in the case of the wild boar, DEFRA are so slow to decide what action to take that by the time they reach a decision its too late and the birds are too well established to remove.

Havnt you heard of the plans to remove many thousands of Ruddy Ducks & how many £ millions are about to be spent doing so...
 
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Amarillo said:
So how many do people think are out there?

Sounds like 2 or 3 known pairs plus offspring, and potentially dozens of other single escapees. Given the seemingly high reproductive rate and survival of the young, it would appear they have a good chance of establishing a viable population

Thoughts?

Thoughts, pure speculation.
SE
 
StevieEvans said:
Havnt you heard of the plans to remove many thousands of Ruddy Ducks & how many £ millions are about to be spent doing so...

Yes, but shooting birds that live on open water is a lot more feasible than shooting secretive nocturnal woodland birds
 
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