Little Owl

As I lifted my gaze from the ground I became aware of a round, pale-brown object bouncing its way towards me through the air. As it approached it gained height, its buoyant flight taking it up and over my head into the mature oak by which I was standing. Turning around to follow its trajectory I was greeted by the piercing yellow rimmed stare of an adult little owl, now perched on one of the thick lower limbs of this majestic tree. This was my first little owl of the year and, perhaps surprisingly, the first seen here at Kilverstone.

Despite its familiarity, the little owl is not a native of the county but established itself here as a result of deliberate introductions carried out some 140 years ago. The first attempts to introduce this delightful owl into England took place in 1842, when individuals collected from Italy were released into Walton Park, Yorkshire. This release, and several other early attempts, failed to establish the species but two successful introductions did take place in the 1870s, one to Edenbridge in Kent and one near Oundle in Northamptonshire. By 1925 the species was established across most of its current British range, including Norfolk.

Although most active from dusk through to dawn, little owls can often be seen during the daytime, perched in a tree or, occasionally, seen in flight. At this time of the year they are well into their breeding season and many local pairs will have already initiated egg laying. Vocal activity over recent weeks will have reflected this upsurge in breeding behaviour, with male little owls proclaiming ownership of their territories through a ‘hooo-oo hooo-oo’ call, answered by the female through a series of short shrieks and yelps. The little owl has quite an impressive vocal repertoire and, in addition to the territory calls, a plaintive ‘kiew kiew’ call may often be heard. The breeding pair will spend increasing amounts of time around the chosen nest site, the male demonstrating its suitability to his mate and also presenting her with choice items of prey. These behaviours serve to cement the pair bond and strengthen the association with the nest site.

To many people the little owl is a welcome addition to our avifauna and, even though introduced, we should be concerned by the decline in numbers seen over the last 50 or so years. Loss of nesting sites and a fall in populations of favoured prey are behind the decline. Equally worrying is that a similar pattern can be seen elsewhere in Europe, in countries to which the species is native, and it is for this reason that the little owl has been flagged as being of conservation concern.