A field in Shropshire, England
Only two owlets left but they’re doing well. The spell of rain (barn owls can’t fly in the rain) at night when the little ones were most vulnerable meant a low food supply. But the remaining ones have their downy coats to keep warm so the mother can hunt now too.
Two days later and the fluffballs are getting bigger, but the hunting still isn’t very good with more rain at night.
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The old pond leaks and is getting clogged up with vegetation and before long will disappear completely. So once we’re sure there are no nesting birds (such as moorhens) we’ll get in there with some spades and dig it out.
This is what it looked like in 2018.
Still four owlets. Plenty of food too.
Later that day, the oldest owlet feel asleep on the side of their mother. All four are getting bigger quickly and are just beginning to develop their fluffy coats.
By now we may only have three barn owlets. It looks like the mother has rejected the smallest. Not unusual to do this if there isn’t enough food but nature can appear to be cruel at times.
Update: looks like the fourth owlet is OK. A few minutes later the mother turned round and carefully pulled it back under her with her beak.
The mother is busy feeding the four wriggling chicks: see how she is able to control them while holding a field vole (probably) down as she pulls it apart to feed each of them in turn, while having time to have some herself too.
We’re not sure how many moorhen chicks there are, but there are at least three. They’re getting bigger, less like sootballs as they start to develop proper feathers.
The first egg has hatched and there’s a little pink wriggly thing under the mother.
Even before the egg was hatched the owlet and mother were talking to each. Here you can hear them chittering away the night before: when the mother moves you can see the cracked egg on the right!
Update 28 May. Now there are two owlets, clear to see as the mother briefly left the nest.
Update 29 May. Now there are two owlets. Not sure where the adult male is today. There is spare food on the floor of the nest box so the family aren’t going hungry.
Three days to go before the first egg is due to hatch. The mother is being so careful looking after the clutch.
The rain has meant the male can’t go out, so he’s bored. He’s decided to stand on the female’s back.
Fifteen minutes later and he’s still there.
A pair of moorhens have secretly made a nest and we now have seven (or eight) little ‘sootballs’ on the pond.
Definitely eight!
Found the cause of tweeting in the shed.
Five hungry little robins.
Update 15 May. Success as all five fledge and leave the nest.
The female’s sitting down a lot.
Tada! This is why.
Over the next few days more appear.
That should be all. It’s more than we normally have and they probably won’t all hatch, and the ones that do certainly won’t all survive.