I had just a few boxes to check this morning: particularly the box at Plain Farm which had two small chicks in last time we checked. Ellie and I set out at 9:30, first stop Plain Farm. There we found and ringed just the one chick:
This is Ellie’s first Barn Owl chick and she handled it perfectly. The G-rings aren’t always the easiest to get right first time, but she certainly had no problems fitting and closing the ring properly.
This chick was pretty healthy, weighed in at a decent 350g, with a reasonably full belly. How much of that was its now, no longer in existence, nest mate I don’t know, but it looked in good condition.
We then went over the road to Drill Farm. Back on the 13th June we caught the adult female on the nest and found four warm eggs. Today we found three chicks and two warm eggs. The chicks were too small for ringing. In fact, even the largest was still naked and was only just opening its eyes. Its nest mates were very definitely naked and bind. We will visit again in three to four weeks to ring what may be left. They do seem to be being well fed. This was the largest of the chicks:
Just look at the belly on that: makes me look positively svelte! A shame it is Ellie’s legs that are in focus and not the chick!
We checked a couple of boxes at Gospel Oak Farm: the Jackdaws had fledged from the bottom box and the owner had cleaned it out subsequently. The upper box, which had previously held a squirrel drey was still empty. We then went over to Clattinger Farm to look at the new box there: no sign of any activity or poo adorning the greenery under the box.
Our final stop was at Oaksey Moor: this was frustrating: plenty of evidence of owl occupation, plenty of white splash all over the vegetation all around the base of the box and beyond, so it looks active. Unfortunately, it was inaccessible using the ladder. It is going to need either permission to cut a swathe through the brush trees around the base of the tree (mainly Blackthorn) or a tree climber to get in there. As it is part of a Wiltshire Wildlife Trust reserve, one has to follow the Health & Safety protocols, which means two tree climbers!
By then it was approaching midday and getting very hot, so we called it a day! Ellie was happy with her first experiences of Barn Owls and ringing her first of their chicks: the first of many I expect.
Ringing In The Braydon Forest & Beyond 