Barn owl wildlife webcam

The owlets are growing noticeably now, and their adult plumage is really starting to develop. They look more and more like young owls each day as the downy feathers moult out to be replaced by their pearly adult feathers. Some of you may have noticed that there is a lot of wing flapping going on also, and this is essential exercise for young birds as they build up strength in their wing muscles. With this very obvious preparation for their first flights, you may also notice them bouncing across the nest box and crashing into each other. Its probably very irritating to be bashed around the head by your siblings and tempers can become quite frayed inside that stuffy, hot box. 

The adult male has probably done what he does every year and moved out, and who can blame him? Don't worry though, he is an experienced parent and will still be supplying food. The other adult, presumably the female, is still spending some days in the box and some days in the entrance pipe. This could depend on what the chicks are doing, especially if its a wing flapping day. Interestingly this year the chicks are already spending a lot of their time in the pipe, so if you tune in and don't see any of them in the box once again please don't fear the worst. Each clutch is different and possibly this year the brood have discovered the fascinating view of the outside world from their entrance hole. It's also probably much cooler in the pipe, especially when you are growing your first set of proper feathers.  

It's exactly a month today since the first barn owl chick hatched, and haven't they grown a lot in that short time? Their faces are starting to look more adult-like now with the face discs developing, and their hooked beaks hardening off. Notice too how big their eyes are, absolutely essential for nocturnal hunters. The first wing feathers appear to be developing, and these are more noticeable when the chicks stretch. In another month their down will have been moulted out and they will be looking more like young adults. 

Sadly we lost the fourth hatchling, and seasoned owl watchers will know that this is entirely normal. The smallest chick always faces a huge struggle to get a fair share of the food, and the fact that it lasted for nearly two weeks showed tenacity and indicates there is probably enough food arriving. Unfortunately the bigger chicks will always take the lions share. With half term just a few days away why not bring your youngsters down to Lorton Barn on Wednesday 29 May for our Owls and Owl Pellets event. At these hands on sessions there will be owl mask making and owl pellet dissection. Owls produce pellets of fur and bone which they are unable to digest. They cough these up, and by dissecting this dry matter we can find small skulls and other fascinating insights into their diets. 

We hope everyone is enjoying watching the barn owls again this spring. Things have been busy in the nest box this week and the last two eggs hatched sometime between 30 April and 1 May. So with the family complete the work begins in earnest.

Many of you have probably noticed the prey items scattered around the floor of the box, and although it might seem a bit gory this is obviously a good indicator that the male owl is finding food. Barn owls main prey are voles, but I noticed that there are the remains of what looks like a starling in there too. Owls will also take frogs, insects and even bats if the opportunity presents it self.

Now incubation is over the female is spending most of her time brooding the chicks, and tearing food up to gently feed it to the youngsters. They are still too young to have grown any feathers yet and are staying warm under mum. The male appears to be spending most of his day's out in the entrance pipe but is obviously doing his job too. More updates to follow as (hopefully) all the chicks grow.  

The first Lorton Meadows barn owl chick hatched last night (23 April), and is being well cared for. There is a bit of tidying up to do in the box including some eggshell from last night, and one of the adults should probably remove this soon. The male is supplying food as we can see by the vole offerings in the box, and hopefully this bodes well for a good food supply this year. We can probably expect more eggs to hatch over the course of this week so keep watching the live feed for the next arrival. 

The owl nesting season is off to a really early start this year. The first egg arrived around 25 March, potentially 18 days earlier than last year. This could be down to food availability or the mild, wet winter we had. At time of writing, the female is sat on four eggs and we may see more eggs laid (though average clutch size is usually four). Unlike many bird species, barn owl incubation starts when the first egg is laid. The young will then hatch at 2-to-3-day intervals which is why some chicks are bigger/more dominant than others. So we could feasibly see the first chick by the end of April. Mum will be doing little hunting now as the male should be bringing her food regularly. 

In previous years there has been some concern about the male apparently going missing, so it's probably worth pointing out that he is known to spend time in the drainpipe that leads from the nest box to the outside world. He is also known to roost elsewhere once all of the eggs have hatched, and food drops can be over in a flash. He is an experienced parent so try not to fear the worst if you don't catch much sight of him this summer. Look out for another update when we get closer to hatching time.