Nestcam Diary 2015


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December 2015

23rd – there’s a roosting Barn Owl in the nestbox as I type (12.05pm).

Barn Owl Webcam Nestcam Screenshot 29th June Xmasedit18th – no activity reported recently.

Wishing all our Nestcam viewers and supporters a joyous Solstice, merry Christmas and a happy and peaceful New Year, on behalf of us all here at the Barn Owl Trust.

9th – a single bird was seen preening for a time on the tray of the nestbox this morning.

7th – no reports of Barn Owl activity have been received in recent weeks, though experience shows that doesn’t necessarily mean there aren’t birds around.

November 2015

11th – not wholly unexpected to have recorded absolutely no activity in recent weeks. Actually I spoke too soon; observations of a single bird were noted on 24th October and 1st November (thanks Wendy).

October 2015

14th – typical non-breeding site behaviour during the day with very few sightings in the nestbox or barn. After dark however some activity is evident (thanks Wendy);

2 Cornish Barn Owls: www.youtube.com

September 2015

28th – a Barn Owl was in the barn this morning at just before 4am.

24th – unsurprisingly there have been no sightings of the Barn Owls on either Nestcam or Barncam after the youngster dispersed a fortnight ago. If you do see anything please let us know.

9th – no sign of the youngster in the barn or nestbox this morning.

1st – the owlet is still in the nestbox this afternoon. At over 12 weeks of age it won’t be too long before it starts its journey to independence and dispersal commences.

August 2015

28th – for the second day in a row the owlet isn’t visible on either Nestcam or Barncam, but may very well turn up at some point, as it did yesterday.

27th – the owlet wasn’t initially visible in the nestbox or the barn first thing but turned up in the nestbox late morning.

Barn Owl Webcam Barncam Screenshot 25th August 201525th – the presumed owlet is still around; in the barn on one of the back beams viewable via Barncam this morning. Interestingly, 2 cached small mammals on the right hand side of the nestbox means food is still being delivered.

19th – still there this morning but at roost on one of the beams first thing, then moving into the nestbox by 9.30am.

17th – just minutes after posting the update on the 14th the owlet disappeared and was not visible on either Barncam or Nestcam. However, it’s back in the nestbox today and has been at roost all day.

14th – the owlet is 10 weeks old today and it shouldn’t be too long before it starts roosting away from the barn. Please do let us know the first time you notice it isn’t visible on either Nestcam or Barncam.

10th – the owlet spent some time out of the nestbox over the weekend and was even seen to fly for the first time; it flew around the bottom of the barn then back up to the nestbox where it is roosting this morning. It’s now lost much of the down it had only last week and will soon be indiscernible in appearance from its parents.

Barn Owl Webcam Nestcam Screenshot 5th August 20155th – apologies for the camera downtime experienced recently.

The owlet is fast losing its down now, and unfortunately some of it is over the camera lens, but this can’t be helped. The sex of the owlet still appears to be a matter of debate.

July 2015

29th – first reports were received this morning of the owlet managing to get out of the box last night. Please let us know if you see the first flight, as it shouldn’t be long now.

28th – the owlet seems to be thriving but is still covered in a thick layer of down despite being nearly 8 weeks old. It is however looking increasingly more male-like as it develops but we stand to be corrected!

Please let us know if you see the bird jumping at the hole, as we think it should soon be able to exit the box.

Barn Owl Webcam Nestcam Screenshot 17th July 201517th – the owlet has taken to standing in the extreme right hand corner of the box closest to the camera and as such is barely visible at times so please don’t panic if you log on and it’s not immediately in view.

15th – the owlet appears to be doing okay and is growing fast.

9th – the farm is experiencing broadband problems which we hope will be rectified in the next couple of days. However, during a very brief period of service this morning the owlet was in the nestbox looking bright and active.

3rd – a nest inspection was carried out and the remaining owlet was found to be fit and healthy so was fitted with a BTO ring, as was the adult female.

June 2015

Barn Owl Webcam Nestcam Screenshot 29th June29th – sadly, it seems the smallest owlet has died over the weekend. The female is now spending an increasing amount of time roosting outside the box. We have had reports that both adults are still around and the one remaining owlet is being fed.

26th – well, it appears that we still have 2 owlets and the female is often in the nestbox with them during the day. However, they’re probably big enough now for her to leave so she can go out hunting at night. Both adults were seen together at the box yesterday (25th).

22nd– devastating news over the weekend. It appears we’re down to two owlets. It’s not unusual to lose some of the owlets but to have so many die so quickly has come as a shock. Has something happened to the male? What’s odd is that there’s a small mammal cached in the nestbox this morning.

18th – still no confirmed count of the number of owlets so far although we definitely saw at least 5 this afternoon. This despite the female regularly roosting outside the box over the last couple of days giving ample opportunity. With all the sun we’ve been enjoying in recent days this is no doubt due to the temperature in the nestbox which means she doesn’t feel she needs to keep the owlets warm.

Barn Owl Webcam Nestcam Screenshot 15th June 201515th – a prolonged view of the nest was afforded late morning when the female got up and left the box, presumably to stretch her wings. No eggs appeared to be visible (see screenshot) though it was virtually impossible to count the number of owlets as they were all in a heap.

1.50pm update – at least 6 owlets were visible briefly during another of the female’s interludes out of the box.

12th – many thanks to those who submitted observations overnight after our request for confirmation of the number of owlets, this in part due to the tumbling heap of pink squigglers making it impossible to work out where one ended and another began! The general consensus seems to be definitely 4 owlets, probably 5, as there still appears to be 2 whole, unhatched eggs.

11th – we’re not entirely sure how many owlets we have by now so if you do get a good view please do let us know.

8th – now 3 owlets, first sighted yesterday.

5th – we don’t want to tempt fate but during a period of relative camera streaming stability this afternoon we’re pretty sure we actually saw two owlets.

4th – camera down again. Not sure whether it was just coincidence yesterday but we’ll try the same thing again today in the hope that it sorts the camera out again . . . . . Well, that seemed to work. We’re fairly confident that one of the eggs has hatched, as the shell remains appear to be sitting just in front of the female as we type (10.45am). The female is also quite hunched over, as if she’s attending to something. Finally, there are at least 3 and perhaps as many as 5 small mammals in the nestbox to the right of the female.

4.30pm update – an owlet has definitely been spotted!

Barn Owl Webcam Nestcam Screenshot 3rd June 20153rd – the very simple process of turning the camera off and then back on again appears to have rectified the problem we have been experiencing. Now comes the difficult task of working out how many eggs have already hatched . . . . . Actually, the female has just stood up and none of the eggs has hatched, as of 3.10pm.

1st – as some of you may have noticed there appears to be an intermittent fault with the Nestcam camera. Unfortunately we won’t be able to do anything about this until the owlets are at least 3 weeks old (towards the end of June) but hopefully it’ll just be a loose connection which we can sort on the day. Our apologies.

May 2015

19th – many thanks to all those who have confirmed over the last couple of days that there are indeed 7 eggs!!!!!

18th – reports received over the weekend suggest that there are 6 or possibly even 7 eggs now!!! If you do get a good look at any point and can count the eggs please do let us know.

Barn Owl Webcam Nestcam Screenshot 11th May 201511th – the 5th egg was apparently laid between 3.30 and 4.15am this morning. You can see in the image that there are at least 6 food items in the nestbox on the left hand side by the incubating female, one of which she consumed at about 11am. The male is obviously doing very well and the presence of excess food in the nestbox is a very good sign indeed.

9th – the 4th egg was laid some time before 12.30pm this afternoon.

8th – 2 cached small mammals are clearly visible on the left hand side of the nestbox this morning. This is always a good sign.

Barn Owl Webcam Nestcam Screenshot 7th May 20157th – the 3rd egg was apparently laid some time before 8pm last night. The next egg should be some time tomorrow or Saturday.

5th – our 1st egg was laid some time before 9.45pm on Saturday 2nd, and the 2nd egg was seen at 9.00am this morning (unless you know different), so we now have 2 eggs! Please do keep an eye, check this diary and if we haven’t already reported any further eggs, let us know the time and date you see any additions; eggs are laid at 2-3 day intervals so the next egg is probably due on Thursday(?). Nestcam@barnowltrust.org.uk. Thank you.

Barn Owl Webcam Nestcam Screenshot 1st May 20151st – the pair now seems firmly esconced in the nestbox, with one bird rarely, if ever, leaving. It seems to us that the birds are behaving very much as they would prior to egg-laying, with one bird scratching the floor and picking up and shredding pellets. Time will tell of course, but if you do see an egg, please let us know the time and date as soon as you notice by emailing Nestcam@barnowltrust.org.uk. Many thanks.

 

April 2015

Barn Owl Webcam Nestcam Screenshot 27th April 201527th – still a pair of owls roosting together in the nestbox, with some copulation reported over the weekend.

20th – exciting news has been received today of two Barn Owls in the nestbox over the weekend. Unfortunately, for some inexplicable reason the picture quality is rather poor this morning but we’re hoping the situation will rectify itself  in the near future, as is often the case.

14th – no birds have been in the barn for a couple of weeks as far as we know, and we have no idea where the bird(s) have gone, or what they’re up to at this stage.

9th – little to report over recent days with no birds viewable on either Nestcam or Barncam.

Barn Owl Webcam Nestcam Screenshot 1st March 2015March 2015

26th – an owl was roosting in the entrance of the nestbox at lunchtime today and there are lots of pellets visible on the floor of the box.

18th – a Barn Owl was again on the tray of the nestbox this morning, and appeared very interested in something on the floor of the barn for a time.

17th – a Barn Owl is on the tray of the nestbox this morning.

Barn Owl Webcam Barncam Screenshot 18th March 20155th – no Barn Owls are in the barn this morning.

February 2015

27th – as the month draws to a close, there’s still apparently only one bird present, this morning at roost on the top of the box, viewable via Barncam.


4th
– a bird with a fairly well-marked tail was in the nestbox this morning.

Barn owl webcam Barncam Screenshot 2nd February 20152nd – no birds appear to be visible via either Nestcam or Barncam this morning.

January 2015

23rd – a single Barn Owl is in the nestbox this morning.

12th – reports over the Christmas period suggest only one bird is in residence, normally roosting on the beams in the barn and viewable via Barncam.