Owl in the living room...
Discussion
Well not in my living room but the Mother-in-Law's and the second time it (or one like it) has been in.
Wife went round to her Mum's house yesterday, came rushing back to tell me there's an Owl in the living room again, so I went round to evict said Owl which by now was hiding behind the wood burner. Managed to get it from behind there only for it to hide behind the TV and then try to repeatedly head-butt through a closed (non-opening) window, it had already caused a bit of minor damage to ornaments and left a sooty trail behind it.
Using a long handled cobweb brush I managed to lift it (it perched on the brush for a few seconds) until it flew across the room head first into another window. It then turned around and flew out of the open patio door, so a happy ending for the Owl.
We think it had been in the room at least a day but to top it off there was also a dead Crow (or other Crow-like bird) in there, so not so happy an ending for the Crow.
It (and the Crow) must have come down the chimney as there is no other way in, said chimney is about 7-8" diameter steel pipe with a 90 degree bend into the wood burner, big enough for a large bird to fall down but not to fly out of I suppose? So it's a good thing the burner door was open (and not lit) or we might not have found it for some time - although maybe it could have survived on Crow meat?
Don't know if it is nesting in the chimney? as this is the second time She's had an Owl in the room, problem is the room isn't used and is closed off so any bird could be in there a while and be dead by the time it's found - like the Crow was (unless the Owl killed it?), we only knew it was there because she heard it bashing into stuff.
It's only after I got it out that I read up about Tawny Owls (at least that's what I think it is) and I read that, if threatened they will attack Dogs, Cat & Humans etc. and that they can be quite nasty, one birdwatcher had actually had his eye gouged out by one!
Think I need to block off the chimney or get an Owl-proof suit...
Here's a pic of said Owl;
Wife went round to her Mum's house yesterday, came rushing back to tell me there's an Owl in the living room again, so I went round to evict said Owl which by now was hiding behind the wood burner. Managed to get it from behind there only for it to hide behind the TV and then try to repeatedly head-butt through a closed (non-opening) window, it had already caused a bit of minor damage to ornaments and left a sooty trail behind it.
Using a long handled cobweb brush I managed to lift it (it perched on the brush for a few seconds) until it flew across the room head first into another window. It then turned around and flew out of the open patio door, so a happy ending for the Owl.
We think it had been in the room at least a day but to top it off there was also a dead Crow (or other Crow-like bird) in there, so not so happy an ending for the Crow.
It (and the Crow) must have come down the chimney as there is no other way in, said chimney is about 7-8" diameter steel pipe with a 90 degree bend into the wood burner, big enough for a large bird to fall down but not to fly out of I suppose? So it's a good thing the burner door was open (and not lit) or we might not have found it for some time - although maybe it could have survived on Crow meat?
Don't know if it is nesting in the chimney? as this is the second time She's had an Owl in the room, problem is the room isn't used and is closed off so any bird could be in there a while and be dead by the time it's found - like the Crow was (unless the Owl killed it?), we only knew it was there because she heard it bashing into stuff.
It's only after I got it out that I read up about Tawny Owls (at least that's what I think it is) and I read that, if threatened they will attack Dogs, Cat & Humans etc. and that they can be quite nasty, one birdwatcher had actually had his eye gouged out by one!
Think I need to block off the chimney or get an Owl-proof suit...
Here's a pic of said Owl;
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