Eagle Owl in Britain (1 Viewer)

[Lichfield Birder]

Just watched an interesting programme on BBC2 about Eagle Owls possibly colonising Britain. Apparently a pair has bred in Yorkshire for 10 years, raising 20 young. Whilst these are almost certainly escapes, what is the likelihood that they could spread. Apparently over the last few years they colonised Holland and Belgium in quarries and around inland cliffs, so if these countries are suitable why not Britain? What does everyone think about this. Is this the "Little Owl" of the 21st century?

 

[alan_rymer]

Just watched an interesting programme on BBC2 about Eagle Owls possibly colonising Britain. Apparently a pair has bred in Yorkshire for 10 years, raising 20 young. Whilst these are almost certainly escapes, what is the likelihood that they could spread. Apparently over the last few years they colonised Holland and Belgium in quarries and around inland cliffs, so if these countries are suitable why not Britain? What does everyone think about this. Is this the "Little Owl" of the 21st century?

This was a repeat, it was first shown last year I think, and soon after one of the adults was shot and killed close to the nest site.

As to them colonising the rest of the UK. Why not?.

 

[The sniper]

i have a friend who goes down to the west country quite frequently to visit relatives,they say that on numerous occassions they have seen an eagle owl around their farm.I think it is in gloucestershire where they live,has anyone heard about this,i know there have been reports in shropshire about a year ago

 

[luke]

i think the programme was editted wrong, there was unfortunatly alot of mention about how they are not protected (or were not at the time) and how someone could just go and shoot them. so someone went out and did. the bloke who said about there are 53 escaped (that was made up, as i know the person who said that and used to work with him. he hasnt a clue what conservation and wilds birds are all about) but there are an awful lot of birds missing from their owner, these probably make up alot of the sightings for example possibly the one in glouscester?

 

[Xenospiza]

The (Dutch) city where I live has a free-flying Eagle Owl which recently attacked an observer! I've never searched for it – I always assumed it to be an escape (and this behaviour would suggest it is!)

I prefer to go and see the birds at the quarry site that they showed in the programme. Rumour has it, the pellets contain a good number of cat collars... (don't start an argument, please). In this time of year, success is almost guaranteed there. There are other sites, including one where the birds nest in a tree, but visiting those is not encouraged.

 

[trooper]

The (Dutch) city where I live has a free-flying Eagle Owl which recently attacked an observer! I've never searched for it – I always assumed it to be an escape (and this behaviour would suggest it is!)

I prefer to go and see the birds at the quarry site that they showed in the programme. Rumour has it, the pellets contain a good number of cat collars... (don't start an argument, please). In this time of year, success is almost guaranteed there. There are other sites, including one where the birds nest in a tree, but visiting those is not encouraged.

I don´t no about cat collars, I sometimes help with ringing Eagle owls and we always find dozens of coloured rings from Homing Pigeons in the nest as well as remains from various other unidentifiable birds and mammals.

 

[dantheman]

I watched it too, excellent birds!

Obviously there are a few issues though . . . .
I wondered if the conservation bodies (including BOU and RSPB) are still wanting these birds to be non-indigenous and just merely escapes? It seems a bit crazy to think they could not have occurred here naturally in the past, I mean the North Sea is no barrier at all to LEO and SEO's, and there would have been plenty of habitat several hundreds of years ago.

At the end of the program they did mention that a European law had come into effect protecting Eagle Owls europe-wide, although I agree, it did seem like there was a subliminal message coming through the program when they kept repeating that they were not protected (so go out and bag one mate, you know you want to. . .).

Not on my list here, but I'll be keeping my ears open when I'm out and about in suitable habitat (most anywhere?!) from now on . . .

 

[Farnboro John]

I watched it too, excellent birds!

Obviously there are a few issues though . . . .
I wondered if the conservation bodies (including BOU and RSPB) are still wanting these birds to be non-indigenous and just merely escapes? It seems a bit crazy to think they could not have occurred here naturally in the past, I mean the North Sea is no barrier at all to LEO and SEO's, and there would have been plenty of habitat several hundreds of years ago.

At the end of the program they did mention that a European law had come into effect protecting Eagle Owls europe-wide, although I agree, it did seem like there was a subliminal message coming through the program when they kept repeating that they were not protected (so go out and bag one mate, you know you want to. . .).

The problem is that they are common in captivity and they do escape all the time. Sorting the wheat from the chaff is therefore very difficult.

However, I agree entirely about the migration point. I have heard on the grapevine that there is a record of one "in-off" at Landguard doing the rounds but I have no details and obviously the committees have not listed it as a species they are considering at the moment: so that may be wrong or perhaps the conspiracy theorists could have a go.

With the Muscovy Duck business still dragging on unresolved the BOURC is vulnerable to accusations of non-transparency at the moment.

John

 

[Brian Stone]

This was a repeat, it was first shown last year I think, and soon after one of the adults was shot and killed close to the nest site.

As to them colonising the rest of the UK. Why not?.

I suggest reading this:
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=41993

I would say it is not clear what killed that bird.

 

[Merman]

I like to think they came over on their own accord. and are not escapes.

I had to laugh at the guy who owns the owl sanctuary. "people keep them as pets so they can take them down to the pub and show everyone how hard they are with a big owl on their arm" thats a ridiculous exaggeration if you ask me. if you went down to the pub with an owl on your arm where i live, you would get laughed at and then barred.

regarding the 'they are not protected' bit, that was soon cleared up a few minutes later and we were told they are now a protected species in the UK. I find it hard to believe someone watched it only upto that point to see if they were protected and then went out on a killing spree.

 

[The sniper]

sad thing is that there are probablt people who think they are hard because they havee an eagle owl,same as people think they are hard because they have dangerous dogs.
Saying that if some bloke turned up at my pub with an eagle owl on his arm he would get punched before getting thrown out the door by myself!

 

[Farnboro John]

I like to think they came over on their own accord. and are not escapes.

I had to laugh at the guy who owns the owl sanctuary. "people keep them as pets so they can take them down to the pub and show everyone how hard they are with a big owl on their arm" thats a ridiculous exaggeration if you ask me. if you went down to the pub with an owl on your arm where i live, you would get laughed at and then barred.

regarding the 'they are not protected' bit, that was soon cleared up a few minutes later and we were told they are now a protected species in the UK. I find it hard to believe someone watched it only upto that point to see if they were protected and then went out on a killing spree.

The local landowners and game rearing fraternity in NE England, plus the lunatic hooligan fringe in the area, are completely lawless wrt raptors of all sorts. I have met the Army gentleman on the programme (after its original screening) and not only traditional targets such as Peregrine, Gos and Buzzard but also such ludicrous grouse-taking suspects as Barn Owls are shot by them on a regular basis. The culprits do not stick to their own land for these offences but are occasionally found on MOD land in 4WD with arms.

The problem as usual is to prove the connection, but let me tell you the gentleman responsible for the area is in no doubt what happened to "his" owl, or why.

And those who post on here saying a few shotgun pellets probably wouldn't have crippled it beyond hunting have been watching too many Hollywood action movies.

John

 

[Capercaillie71]

I like to think they came over on their own accord. and are not escapes.

Of course it doesn't have to be one or the other. Probably most of the birds are escapes, but that doesn't mean that one or two haven't made it across the sea. If they establish a viable breeding population it doesn't really matter where they came from (unless they are escaped Bengal Eagle Owls).

 

[KnockerNorton]

And those who post on here saying a few shotgun pellets probably wouldn't have crippled it beyond hunting have been watching too many Hollywood action movies.
John

Or maybe we have just been informed by the bloke who actually did the post-mortem, rather than random opinions on BirdForum or the media spin put on it by the police WLO?

When in doubt, I trust the root source - the bloke who did the pm. He's been doing that job for over a decade. He told me the shot wouldn't have killed it, very probably wouldn't have affected it at all, and could have been in it for years. The birds was well over 10 years old, for heaven's sake. Owls do die of other causes, even natural ones. The bottom line is that cause of death was unknown, but there was no strong evidence that the shot was the reason.

Those are the bare facts. Anything else you hear are just groundless opinion, barring a confession from a gun-toting tyke.

 

[KnockerNorton]

On the general topic, watching that program again I was pretty astounded by how badly-made it was. All that appalling editing and sound. And it was basically a Roy Dennis opinions show. Roy provided no evidence at all that wild eagle owls have ever occurred in the UK. He made a point about 19C records being mainly in autumn and winter, claiming that this was evidence of wild vagrancy. Sorry Roy, but autumn and winter is also the hunting season, when people are most likely to be out with and lose birds.

There is no evidence at all that Eagle Owls have ever been native. They have been common in captivity for centuries, whereas nobody has ever reported finding a wild nest in all that time. When you consider that Goshawks and both eagles were virtually wiped out of the UK and Ireland during that time, it's clear that remote sites and elusive behaviour have never stopped people finding nests and procurring specimens in huge numbers before. Yet, curiously, nobody's ever turned up Eagle owls. That says it all. They were never here as a native bird, bar for an extremely rare vagrant. But by the same token, nobody's saying we should 'reintroduce' pacific diver or long-billed murrelet based on a few vagrants, are they?

 

[Steven Astley]

There's an Eagle Owl roaming around Bolton, wonder if it's caught anybodies cat yet.

 

[ChrisJB]

I thought the programme was fascinating, although someone half decent at relating topography to an O.S map would have little trouble in locating the place. That is if the unshot one is still hanging about.

Chris

 

[redeyedvideo]

I find it strange that all the escapes are European Eagle Owl & none are reported as Bengal Eagle Owl which I have seen more of in captivity. Does anyone know the ratio of captive birds of either (sub) species?


Dave J

 

[chris murphy]

There's apparently an Eagle Owl making a good living slaughtering the local pigeons around Middlesbrough train station. Also one recently in Stewart's Park, could be the same bird? Would be interesting to see, but I'd prefer a slightly more rural setting than central 'Boro, in amongst the drunkards and smack-heads.

 

[Original PaulE]

There is no evidence at all that Eagle Owls have ever been native. They have been common in captivity for centuries, whereas nobody has ever reported finding a wild nest in all that time. When you consider that Goshawks and both eagles were virtually wiped out of the UK and Ireland during that time, it's clear that remote sites and elusive behaviour have never stopped people finding nests and procurring specimens in huge numbers before. Yet, curiously, nobody's ever turned up Eagle owls. That says it all. They were never here as a native bird, bar for an extremely rare vagrant. But by the same token, nobody's saying we should 'reintroduce' pacific diver or long-billed murrelet based on a few vagrants, are they?

Are people saying they should be reintroduced? most of the arguments seem to be about whether the ones that are here however they got here should be removed or not
it also seems that the arguement either way seeems to be based on whether they have been here before or not,why? what difference does that make we are constantly being told in the media and indeed on this forum that we are living in a changing world some creatures ranges will contract and some will expand this is natures reaction to these changes if eagle owls are one of the creatures that benefits from this who are we to say yes or no?what the programme did say is that there is plenty of habitat for them and plenty of food and that they are spreading west so it seems they coming whether we like it or not.