One of the barn owls has decided to spend today in the new nest box rather than roosting elsewhere as they have been doing. Not sure where the other one is – they were both in the old nest box last night.
Category: Barn Owls
Not sure we should be looking
It does feel a bit voyeuristic watching them spend time together, particularly when they get all frisky and start practising making hootlets.
Love is in the air!
We have sound (but no music!) as both the barn owls arrive, noisily at first, then romantic silence as they settle in together.
Happy New Year
And we start with a new camera – not working properly yet (no sound, video not exporting properly), but once it is we should have day and night videos of the barn owl box.
We think this is the male. Paler markings and no black spots on front unlike the female, and the male tends to be the one seeking out and preparing nest sites.
No question about it
It’s a tawny
Little doubt this time, different markings compared to a barn owl. Only one so far, hopefully the other is hiding in the nest box.
Barn owl or tawny?
Hooty update
They’re spending more time around the nest box, though not staying in it during the day. A lot of winter to go yet before they nest properly, but it’s looking good so far.
Settling in
Nap time
Hooty’s settling in and currently having a well-earned nap.
Hooty’s back!
And not just one but two: after a year of empty nests we now have a pair of barn owls taking an interest in the old nest box. We’re going to give them plenty of peace and quiet while they settle in. There’s a lot of winter ahead for them but the field is ready, with plenty of scrubland for hunting.
Ready for Hooty’s return
Thanks to John from the Shropshire Barn Owl Group for his visit and advice about how to attract barn owls back to the croft. We’ve cleaned out the nest boxes, laid fresh bedding, cleared overhanging branches, installed some random fence posts nearby (as perches for the owls) and also installed ‘pencil’ cameras in each box so we can easily monitor them. Now we just wait…
Hooty compilation
A compilation of video clips of our barn owls from the past two years.
Owl on a post
One of the last sightings of the owls before they dispersed and the field became empty for over a year.