Our barn owl chicks have stepped out of the security of their nest box at last. We have been watching them peering out of the entrance for a while, and on Sunday 10th July they ventured out for the first time.
The photo was taken from the nature trail at 6.30pm. The chicks went back into the box shortly afterwards, but we can expect them to be seen more frequently as they get older.
The nest box was put up in 2006, and tawny owls reared a family in it the following year. A single barn owl took over the box in summer 2008, and was joined in the autumn by a second bird. Three young were fledged in 2009, and two in 2010.