As barn owls Gylfie & Finn approached their second season together, it was important to choose the best nest.
READY TO NEST
There are plenty of bird boxes all around my Yorkshire home, but the obvious choice for this barn owl pair was my Elm Stump box. Gylfie has raised four successive broods here and she knows it well.
QUEST FOR NEST
And so it was that the pair’s hunt for a nest began here. By January the owl pair were already scraping out a hollow ready for their eggs.
CHECKING OUT THE COMPETITION
But after spending some time getting this nest ready for the season, Gylfie suddenly decided to tour other available nests.
SYCAMORE STUMP
Her first stop was Sycamore Stump. Gylfie nested here with a previous mate, named Barney, back in 2019. But this year this owl box is occupied by another barn owl pair, Willow & Ghost.
ASH STUMP
Another option for this barn owl pair is Ash Stump and in fact Gylfie & Finn relocate here for a while, scraping out more hollows and even snoozing in it during the day. But they don’t keep a close enough watch and kestrel pair Mr & Mrs Kes move in.
BEECH STUMP
The barn owls move on to Beech Stump. They had five chicks here last Autumn, but sadly the brood perished due to bad weather and lack of food. In case they choose this box again this season, I decide to renovate it, make it wider and more comfortable inside.
NEST BOX WARS
But as soon as it ready tawny owls Bomber and his mate Luna move in and if Gylfie wants it she will have to fight this much larger owl species to get it.
OWLS CLASH
This doesn’t defer Gyflie, and there’s a ferocious flurry of feathers and talons. The tawny owls have nested at Beech Stump for the past two years, (they are early nesters and had already left by the time Gylfie & Finn moved in last year) and are not going to give it up without a fight.
OWLS FIGHT
The tawny owl pair mount an attack on Gylfie & Finn, who have retreated back to Elm Stump after the first clash and a viscous battle ensues..
SEASON BEGINS
By March, after two months of searching for the perfect nest, the tawny owls lay in Beech, and Gylfie’s decision is made for her. Elm Stump is the only option left.
COURTSHIP
Now the nest is decided, it’s time to start a family. The two barn owls are inseparable, and Finn rarely leaves Gylfie’s side.
GYLFIE LAYS FIRST EGG
At the start of May, Gylfie begins contractions. Finn looks on, concerned, but then this attentive male falls asleep and misses the moment the first egg is laid.
CURIOUS MALE
Finn has been a father before, but he’s still curious about it all. As Gylfie goes on to lay three more eggs, he can’t help but stare at each in wonder and even tries to incubate.
INCUBATION
Unlike most birds of prey, barn owl eggs are incubated as soon as they’re laid. This means Gylfie is almost entirely reliant on her barn owl mate Finn to support her. Thankfully he is very attentive mate and brings regular food deliveries.
BARN OWL EGGS
Barn owls lay eggs at two-to-three-day intervals and Gylfie lays like clockwork until the clutch is complete.
#barnowls #robertefuller #owls
