Autumn is the time when tawny owls (pictured) become more vocal as they seek potential partners and nesting sites.

It has only comparatively recently been realised that the familiar 'twit-twooo' call is not made by one bird but by male and female performing a duet whereby the female utters her 'twit' or 'kewick' and the male responds with his long drawn out wavering 'hooooo'.

Nature Notes: Autumn has so much to offer

Several years ago, a pair of tawnies regularly nested in a veteran protected oak about a hundred yards away from my house. I used to enjoy being lulled to sleep by the owls in the nesting season until very early one morning, before anyone could protest, developers moved in and felled the tree. The fine imposed by the local council for destroying the oak was a mere fraction of the selling price of the house built on the site.

Another common owl introduced from the Continent in the 19th century and rapidly spread throughout Britain is the little owl. When I was a very young boy birdwatching on Mitcham common, I looked up to see a little owl peering down at me with his huge yellow eyes, a sight I'll never forget.

Nature Notes: Time to put the feeders out

Several pairs nest in Richmond park and sometimes one can be seen sitting on a fence post as the species hunts both by night and day. They can often be heard calling, uttering a plaintive 'kiew' which can be mistaken for on of the many parakeets residing in the park.