When their father Finn dies suddenly, barn owl chicks Fern, Griffin and Freya become a close-knit team.
Unusual owl bond
At around 40 days old barn owl chicks naturally spend more time alone in their nest and are fiercely competitive. But since losing their father Finn, who tragically drowns in a water trough, Freya, Griffin and Fern have developed an unusual bond.
Support
Finn’s loss has also hit their mother Gylfie, who works alone to feed this growing brood. As a summer drought develops, I help her out with deliveries of food.
Summer heatwave
It’s searing hot and the chicks are overwhelmed. Watch them flutter the feathers on their necks to aid heat loss.
Freya’s first look outside
But at night the temperature drops, and the barn owl chicks become more active. The eldest Freya, takes her first look at the world outside.
ID rings
When the barn owl chicks are seven weeks old, licensed BTO ringer Jean Thorpe arrives to place numbered tags on their legs. The chicks are also weighed and measured and these statistics sent off to a national database.
Chicks prepare for first flights
At eight weeks the chicks become more active, hopping and pouncing in the nest as they get ready for their first flights.
Rebellious
Freya, the eldest chick, is the most confident, she also quite sassy. Watch her mother Gylfie discipline her when she tries to block the entrance to the nest.
Gylfie attracts new partner
Then three weeks since she lost Finn, Gylfie catches the eye of a new suitor. After examining the tag on this male’s leg I discover that this barn owl was actually rescued from a corn dryer and raised here at Fotherdale – alongside Finn
Dryer
So this new owl, whom I name Dryer, is actually Finn’s surrogate step-brother. And now he’s got his eye on Gylfie. This shows the power of ringing! Without the ring, we’d never have known Dryer’s story
First barn owl fledges
Freya is the first to venture out of the nest, but she hops right back after coming face to face with a young tawny owl. Her next attempt to fledge is equally dramatic as she can’t find her way back in!
Fledging follows
One by one the siblings leave the nest. Fern, the youngest spends a whole night out in the trees but returns the following day.
First days
The trio continue to spend their time close to their Elm Stump nest box as they learn how to live independently and it’s a pleasure to watch them grow in confidence. When their father Finn died, I wasn’t sure how the family would survive and here they are at three months old living a life in the wild.
