Now the kestrels have fledged you can now watch our three barn owl chicks live via http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/a/arne/webcam.aspx.
They aren't very active during the day but watch during the evening as the parents bring them voles and mice that they catch on the heath and farmland close to their nest.
Feel free to use the forum to post any observations or questions and we will do are best to answer them!
Barn owl chicks take atleast 55 days to fledge which is a big difference to the kestrel chicks which fledged after 35 days. The oldest chick is about 50 days old and the youngest is about 40 days old so there is still abit of time before they all fledge. Female barn owls don't delay incubation of their eggs unlike the kestrels so there is always a big difference in chick size with the oldest being the most dominant and likely to eat its smaller siblings. It sounds gruesome but it is a survival mechanism and will see the older chicks through periods when food is scarce and often ensures that atleast one chick will always fledge. In the case of this nest they all look healthy and there has been plenty of food so fingers crossed for the smallest one.
Enjoy watching and listen out for the extremely scary noises they make!
9.50pm one seems to be eating, can't see what, missed its arrival, almost being fought over. Is it just my computer or do others find the cam constantly freezing, ie every 2 or 3 mins, had the same with the kestrel cam.
10.10pm something dropped down from top left hand side of the box, dark, bit rodent-like, so not seeing the parent/s at all.
One tucking into it, long tail - mouse? seems a bit big for vole but too small for rat? the other two just letting it get on with it
And another tucking into another one which just missed while writing this so seems like the food is coming in fast now - 10.15pm
Now know they are being fed OK will turn in and probably have bad dreams - they really have got to be the weirdest I have seen, what with the noise and the whole head movement thing earlier, maybe I will still be awake at 2am!
Now I get the whole nestbox thing - thanks Michael for the link - yes it is a really interesting website and well worth looking at.
Loads of rodents being dropped in though it does seem that the bigger 2 seem to manage to grab them so quickly and the smaller one keeps missing out though he's not exactly tiny, is he, so sure he must be getting a share.
Amazing, after devouring yet another one whole in about 30 seconds and looking as though it'll explode yet another small mammal comes in same one grabs it but obviously is so full and can't manage it straight away so virtually passed it to the other! - Chicks feeding chicks?! I suppose more like the other took it really while it was just hanging out of its mouth but with no resistance.Well we now know they are being fed very well at dusk and pre-dawn so can all rest easily and no more need for any more early mornings!
2:49am Pudweena?? You'll turn into an owl too if you're not careful!
Wikipedia tells me some other names for this species include:
White Owl, Silver Owl, Demon Owl, Ghost Owl, Death Owl, Night Owl, Rat Owl, Church Owl, Cave Owl, Stone Owl, Monkey-faced Owl, Hissing Owl, Hobgoblin or Hobby Owl, Dobby Owl,White Breasted Owl, Golden Owl, Scritch Owl, Screech Owl, Straw Owl, Barnyard Owl and Delicate Owl
Screech Owl is pretty self-explanatory I think. :-)
Another photo from the other night in which you can see the rat more clearly: