I have been monitoring a breeding pair of Tawny Owls in a box at the back of my garden. There’s a camera in the box so I know from last nights footage that the two chicks died overnight. Could this just be a local, unfortunate ‘one off, or a symptom of this cold dry spring? The quantity of food coming to the box has been very erratic and there have been long periods of absence by the male. That absence might be the main problem but even the female when out hunting herself has struggled to find prey. I’d be interested to know if other Tawny nests are being monitored? and/or are small mammal recorders noticing declines this year?
