Barn owls – waiting for chicks
May 11, 2017
Our Barn Owl pair have stopped laying with a total of five eggs (the same as last year). The incubating female spends less time moving around now, but you will still see her occasionally moving off the eggs to stretch and go to the toilet.
The bond between them is still strong and you’ll continue to see them mating and preening each other. As expected the female is starting to moult, as you can see by the loose feathers in the nest.
There is concern that one of the eggs might be damaged (see what you think from the snapshot below). It’s not surprising as it looks a bit cramped in there at times when the female starts moving about. It is, however, usual for one or two eggs not to hatch so this is possibly one of the reasons why.
Our first chick is expected next week on 15th May (but could be any time between 14th and 17th at any time of the day or night), and the second is expected on 17th. Look out for the female looking a bit restless on the eggs.