Somehow, the year has already progressed to Autumn. Whilst I always feel sad about the nights drawing in and the cold damp weather, there are so many wonderful things about this time of year. The light is particularly beautiful, as are the misty mornings, and there is plenty of foraging to be done. One of the highlights for me is hearing the screeching of tawny owls. I am a little bit obsessed with owls! I understand that this is the time of year that the young owls try to establish their own territories. The screech (think “ke-wick!”) that you hear is that of a female owl and the sustained hooting, or “hoo hoo hoo,” is the response of a male tawny (https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/birds/birds-prey/tawny-owl.
I live in rural Kent surrounded by trees so these wonderful birds tend to wake me in the night! They often roost in the hollows of trees as I have tried to describe in this little watercolour. We tend to forget that these nocturnal creatures exist until they surprise us at night.