Barn Owl Nest Cam 2019

Portugal Wildlife

Barn Owl Nest Cam 2019 - Tyto alba alba - Coruja das torres:

Flying across the meadow just below the nest box where it was born.

June 20th Update: At last out three beautiful Barn Owl chicks, now fully grown, came home to our Reserve. The staff from RIAS brought them back for release. Two males and a female. At lovely moment !

April 23rd/24th Update: Sadly it appears that both adult Barn Owls have disappeared. First the male stopped showing, presumed dead. Some days later the female also stopped appearing in the nest. It is assumed that she abandoned the nest and her chicks as she would not be able to raise them without help from her mate.

May 1st Update: On a much happier note we can confirm that we were able to rescue three Barn Owl chicks from the nest box. We have now taken these to RIAS, the Wildlife Rehabilitation and Research Centre of Ria Formosa, located in Olhão at Quinta de Marim in the Algarve.

April 22nd: This is the last ever photograph of the female Barn Owl with her chicks. After this photo was taken she left the nest box and mysteriously disappeared.

April 20th.

April 14th.

April 18th.

The chick in the middle must have been one of the last to hatch judging by its small size.

April 10th: Thre chicks visible. Brood now likely to be between 6 and 8 chicks.

Possible Garden Dormouse prey brought in by male Barn Owl.

A couple of the older and much larger chicks.

On a cold day the female sometimes partly spreads here wings so she can cover all the chicks (now 6 to 8).

April 9th: Tiny chick and much larger chicks just visible.

April 2nd: Four Chicks can Two Eggs can be seen.

As the number of chicks increases it is difficult for the female to avoid standing on the chicks with her long toes.

April 3rd: At least Five Chicks and Two Eggs.

The male (left) still spends the day in the nest box. And as can be seen is bringing plenty of mice to the owl family.

27th March: Three chicks have now hatched. Already there is quite a size difference between the first to hatch (bottom) and the last (top right).

The male (left) has brought another mouse for the female and chicks (top, centre). The female incubates and feeds the chicks while the male hunts for the whole family.

The female is being well provisioned by the male bringing lots of mice.

April 2nd: One of the older chicks can be seen with its head projecting out from underneath its mother.

23rd March: Already the chick seems to have grown !

Female stretching wing.

A clutch of Eight Eggs. Maybe this is the full clutch.

The final clutch size is Eight Eggs.

22nd March: The firsst egg has hatched. The tiny chick is in the middle of the group of 7 remaining eggs.

Mating.

Female stretching her wing.

Allopreening.

5th March: Seven eggs !

Female preening flight feather.

3rd March: Six eggs ! (probably laid on 2nd, when camera system was down).

Male preening.

The male Barn Owl is sitting at the nest box entrance at sunset, with his wings stretched. Getting ready to go out hunting.

Female incubating.

Mating.

1st March: Mating.

Post mating.

Female preening.

Male sittiing at nest bix entrance about to go hunting at sunset.

28th February: Now Five Eggs ! So far a new egg is being laid every two days.

Female Barn Owl incubating.

Presumably the male has brought in another rodent for the female to eat. Again it looks like a Wood Mouse. Males are mostly responsible for hunting while females carry out the incubating.