It's a popular belief that an owl should always be in a hole in a tree. However that is far from reality, and especially during the summer months, if you look into a well-leafed tree you will often spot an adult tawny owl roosted up snoozing the day away.

There's nothing you need to do; the owl will usually have chosen the spot well, in an area where the daytime birds are unlikely to disturb it. Sometimes people are surprised to find this is in a tree right next to a house or even a main road ... but these are noises which an owl is used to and will contentedly snooze the daylight hours away until dusk. The only things that would usually dislodge them from this spot would be aggressive corvids who want it away from their own families. However with sitting so still and their own natural camoflage, they are rarely spotted.

It is the female tawny that make the "too-wit" call, and the male answers with the "too-woo". So you can tell quickly if you have a pair of owls, or just a single one looking for a mate.

Nigel