Suddenly, as if someone had opened a cage into the indigo skyscape of the fens, the owls appeared. Paddy suggested this sudden change could be linked to a crash in the vole numbers. Although I continued to feed at dusk, a routine imperative to their nocturnal wanderings, their behaviour changed almost overnight. They were once again waiting for me. Perched on a shed apex, flying sideways from the straw, peering awkwardly from the roof struts and sitting bolt upright on the horizontals of the ash tree. Despite my pessimism I was not as bereft as I had allowed myself to believe.
There was something more. With their urgency to reach the food they were taking it away before I had rounded the dutch barn which was now heaving with the harvest of hay and straw. Most evenings I had to stand motionless as owls flew back and forth, hastily clearing the platforms clean in just minutes. Often they would see me and stare sternly at me before continuing, too intent to worry about my presence. But it was where they took the food that surprised me most of all. Yes, owls continued to relay food up to the youngsters I knew about in the dutch barn east box and their clattering and hissing reassured me they were healthy and thriving. It was the owls that I saw taking food into the shed that surprised me. I had assumed the female that turned the kestrels youngsters out of their nest box in July was from the shed and looking for a second nest site for her next brood. This activity seemed to point to a second brood also being fed in this first nest box the owls used for first broods in June.
I watched, captivated. Perhaps the first brood had returned when food became scarce yet my observations told me these were adult birds and the amount of food they offered into the shed was substantial. I was lost as to what was going on so when I heard that Paddy was coming to check the nest boxes I was delighted.
He arrived mid morning and we headed straight down. On entering the shed a low, rhythmic hissing was evident. The nest box was after all occupied for a second time this season. Five white bundles of down were retrieved and taken to the truck to check. Two were too small to ring as this family was aged between twenty four and twelve days old but all of them had bulging tummies. It seemed as if they might need to unzip themselves or loosen a button somewhere to accommodate the large meals they had recently enjoyed. I was allowed to write notes whilst Paddy weighed and measured them. Barn owlets will lay still if placed on their backs. These two were laid in the truck and I was enthralled to see one clasp the others foot with its talons. It looked as if they were holding hands, comforting each other although I feel certain it was just grasping frantically at anything within its reach.
Next we checked the east nest box where we knew the owlets were much bigger. They had taken to peering at me as I walked the dog close by and I had seen glimpses of almost fully formed wings. We watched from ground level as first one, then another were carefully extracted from the inspection hatch and placed in a cloth bag. Five healthy owlets still sporting down on their heads and outer wings but with their rapidly growing feathers these beauties resembled the adult birds much more readily. These were aged between six and eight weeks.This brood of three males and two females didn't realise they were supposed to lay still on their backs whilst the check took place. They needed their eyes covering to keep them still and when we attempted to take this photo I was reminded of children in their first few days at school who aren't quite sure where they are expected to be and who would far rather follow their own initiative than comply.
We checked the other two boxes which gave us no further clues. West nest box was empty and the beehive box had been taken by stock doves. I had hoped Paddy may glean clues from it but it seems our tragic female will keep her secrets, at least for now. We continued down the road to check two other sites less than half a mile from us. I will save these details for another blog as the visits were delightful. Needless to day Paddy was as happy as we were to find this abundance of next generation owls.
On returning to my house over tea and bacon butties we pondered dates. It was an impossibility that the beehive female who was our male birds original mate could have brooded either of these families before she died. There was definitely a third female on site.Whether she had her own mate or had been taken by our resident male as his third wifelet I cannot yet say. I will need to do some serious owl watching to try to make sense of such a conundrum. I will also need to watch closely as these young owls grow and become more active. I cannot say I am disappointed.
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