Two birds in a box!
Thursday, 24 June 2010
Wednesday, 23 June 2010
The camera was installed last Christmas. From mid March the owls were sometimes in the box, but from the beginning of April the female was ever present.
Three eggs were laid.
Egg 1 on 26th April
Egg 2 on 29th April
Egg 3 on 2nd May
A month later the chicks hatched.
Chick 1 on 27th May
Chick 2 on 30th May
Chick 3 on 2nd June
Since then they have had mixed fortunes. The heavy rains on two days in early June meant hunting was difficult. The male didn’t provision the nest as much as he should, leading us to believe he could have another mate in a nest nearby. Somehow, the chicks made it through.
However, on the morning of 16th June, one of the babies was eaten by a sibling. This is not uncommon in Barn Owls.
Later that day, the female and remaining two chicks were ringed under licence.
Soon the chicks will be big enough to be left in the evenings whilst the female hunts as well.
Three eggs were laid.
Egg 1 on 26th April
Egg 2 on 29th April
Egg 3 on 2nd May
A month later the chicks hatched.
Chick 1 on 27th May
Chick 2 on 30th May
Chick 3 on 2nd June
Since then they have had mixed fortunes. The heavy rains on two days in early June meant hunting was difficult. The male didn’t provision the nest as much as he should, leading us to believe he could have another mate in a nest nearby. Somehow, the chicks made it through.
However, on the morning of 16th June, one of the babies was eaten by a sibling. This is not uncommon in Barn Owls.
Later that day, the female and remaining two chicks were ringed under licence.
Soon the chicks will be big enough to be left in the evenings whilst the female hunts as well.
Lincolnshire Barn Owl Project
We are fortunate in Lincolnshire that we have the most breeding Barn Owls anywhere in the UK and they breed at the highest density in the UK. There are approximately 900 pairs in Lincolnshire.
This camera is in a pole box in the paddock behind a house in a village north of Sleaford.
The box has been up for three years but this year is the first time the owls have been successful. The chicks were predated at an early stage in 2009.
This camera is in a pole box in the paddock behind a house in a village north of Sleaford.
The box has been up for three years but this year is the first time the owls have been successful. The chicks were predated at an early stage in 2009.
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