The two barn owlets are beginning to loose their fluffy covering and reveal their new feathers. Not long before they’ll be trying to get out of the nest box. A combination of the adults and us bringing them food seems to be working.
Category: Barn Owls
-
Day 21
—
Category: Barn OwlsHunting is not going well for the barn owls, with the father seldom seen and the mother often returning without food. There are just two owlets now and we have started to supplement their food to keep them going. Not an easy decision: should we leave these wild animals alone?
-
Four hungry mouths
—
Category: Barn OwlsThere are now four hungry noisy pink wriggly things for the female barn owl to feed. That field vole won’t last long.
-
Dinner time
—
Category: Barn OwlsThe barn owl mum has to multitask, keeping the three owlets under control while sitting on the two remaining eggs, holding dinner (a mouse caught during the night) under a claw while pulling it apart with her beak to feed the hungry pink wrigglers. It won’t be long before they can each down a whole mouse themselves, but in the meantime it’s hard work for the mum. We’re not sure where the dad is: if he’s not around then it will be hard for her to provide enough food for the growing brood on her own..
-
Little owls
—
Category: Barn OwlsTwo eggs have hatched so far and the little pink scrawny owlets appear to be doing well. Three eggs to go (we didn’t realise there were five!).
-
First egg!
—
Category: Barn Owls -
Still learning
—
Category: Barn OwlsThe male barn owl is a little inexperienced. It’s good he brings back some food for the female but he has to learn to put it down before he can get on with the business of making little owls.
-
Automatic number plate recognition?
—
Category: Barn Owls -
Spring is in the air
—
Category: Barn OwlsThe barn owls are at it already and there’s no doubt which one is the male. Several times a day too, so at this rate we should be seeing the first egg in a few days.
-
More owls!
—
Category: Barn OwlsIt’s now getting a little confusing. Today there are two owls in the nest box but one of them doesn’t have a ring on its leg so isn’t one of the two owls who have been visiting this week. So we now have at least three owls.
-
They’re a pair!
—
Category: Barn OwlsThe two owls who have each been visiting the nest box seem to know each other a little better than we thought. They’re actually a pair and clearly like the nest box so fingers crossed that they settle in and do what owls do in spring!
-
The owl isn’t ill!
—
Category: Barn OwlsThe new owl has settled in for the day and has time to bring up an owl ‘pellet’. This is perfectly normal behaviour: it’s the undigestible remains of its last meal (such as a field vole or mouse). If the owl stays, within a few weeks the bottom of the nest box will disappear under a thick layer of these pellets. Lovely!