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Sunday, April 10, 2011

April 9-10th The Fledging process begins ! : )

Two visits by parents: 10:55 and 3:35 Although no treats delivered, this is a normal part of the Fledging process. Remember that up until yesterday, the owlets have received an average of 15-20 treats per night in the past few weeks. Owlets need to slim down a bit in order to perfect First Hops, skips and jumps around the playground area, and eventual First Flights and Fledge.

The past few days we have seen Parents sitting for extended periods of time on both the hitching post and The Lookout, allowing the owlets to observe them, and beginning the Lure Out Process. Tonight we will see the owlets exiting the box much more quickly, and spending extended periods of time on the porch. They may even fly over to the Hitching Post and back to the box, or perhaps fly to the top of the Owl Box.
Remember please that the parents, particularly the Male who ultimately controls the show, are running the show "wisely" and know exactly what they are doing. The owlets are healthy and thriving!

Excellent Videos of Fledging Barn Owls- What we can expect soon !

Several visits outside by Billy and Annie, some for at least 40 minutes on the porch. PBF also stepped out briefly but returned inside quickly. Jesse showed about a 10 second interest in the door but very quickly stepped back to his corner.

7:30 to 9:29 No parents yet !
9:29 Billy on porch until about 10 pm- Billy to the back of porch (pic below)
9:34 Annie follows, stays out about 10 minutes
10:48 still no parents! Part of the Fledge Process! Owlets not actively calling either!
10:55 Parent on box ! (looked like Clyde) Hurray, stayed a few minutes and flew off, no treat yet
Midnight update: No deliveries yet, owlets calling, but not with gusto!
12:30 am: Status quo from midnight!
2:10-2:40 Billy and Annie on the porch
3:35 Parent visits, no treat (Thanks turtledove33 & Chiniteowl for reports)!
5:25: Billy and Annie on the porch
5:26 Billy and Annie on porch
5:37 Jesse shows first real interest at the door ! (very briefly, less than 30 seconds)
5:38 all four back in for the day

Billy on Porch 9:30 pm April 9th: Screenshot by OwlCamGuy Jr

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12 barn owl fascinating facts

Discover 12 fascinating facts about the beautiful barn owl.
1 The barn owl was voted Britain’s favourite farmland bird by the public in an RSPB poll in July 2007.
2 Historically, the barn owl was Britain’s most common owl species, but today only one farm in about 75 can boast a barn owl nest.
3 Barn owls screech, not hoot (that’s tawny owls).
4 The barn owl can fly almost silently. This enables it to hear the slightest sounds made by its rodent prey hidden in deep vegetation while it’s flying up to three metres overhead.
5 The barn owl’s heart-shaped face collects sound in the same way as human ears. Its hearing is the most sensitive of any creature tested.
6 Barn owls are non-territorial. Adults live in overlapping home ranges, each one covering approximately 5,000 hectares. That’s a staggering 12,500 acres or 7,100 football pitches!
7 It’s not uncommon for barn owl chicks in the nest to feed each other. This behaviour is incredibly rare in birds.
8 In order to live and breed, a pair of barn owls needs to eat around 5,000 prey items a year. These are mainly field voles, wood mice, and common shrews.
9 Though barn owls are capable of producing three broods of five to seven young each year, most breed only once and produce, on average, only two and a half young. 29 per cent of nests produce no young at all.
10 91 per cent of barn owls post-mortemed were found to contain rat poison. Some owls die as a direct result of consuming rodenticides, but most contain sub-lethal doses. The effects of this remain unknown.
11 In a typical year, around 3,000 juvenile barn owls are killed on Britain’s motorways, dual carriageways and other trunk roads. That’s about a third of all the young that fledge.
12 Everyone can help barn owls. Leave a patch of rough grassland to grow wild thus creating habitat for voles, erect a super-safe deep nest box, volunteer for your local barn owl group, switch to non-toxic rodent control