Summer 2026 was a disappointing summer for our owls. We had two broods but lost both youngsters and one of our adult females. Without having them ringed, we had no idea how many fledged successfully and those who did quickly dispersed leaving the yard as quiet as it had been in the spring.
Tonight's owlet
I continued to feed. There are owls roosting across the farm and visiting owls who rely on my offerings in lean times. The weather was calm and as the crops were harvested, voles and mice became easy pickings for these resilient predators. Nonetheless each morning the food I had left was gone and I continued to leave out a small amount to supplement the hunt.
As August continued I noticed a single male waiting for me. Sometimes he would perch on the chimney of the house whilst other times he waited in the trees. I suspected he was feeding a female sitting on eggs or possibly brooding young owlets and I stood in the shadows of the grain store to watch him. Sure enough he flew with the food to west nest box under the dutch barn eaves and I was delighted to see, that despite losing a female, we still had at least one breeding pair.
A week or so elapsed and I waited again, to check all was well and to look for his mate. This time the male flew to west nest box and then flew with food to east nest box too. As I write this, I doubt what I actually saw in the inky dusk light but at the time I was absolutely positive that it was the same owl flying to feed owlets in both boxes. Male Barn Owls have been known to take two mates and the idea that this bird was polyamorous seemed to fit with what I had witnessed.
My beautiful old female
The summer continued, warm, fine and settled and I continued to watch the boxes to ensure all was well. As time moved along, I began to see more owls, usually three but sometimes more. Two or three owls waited for me on the bridge or on the sheds by the gate where I have recently started to feed. One was most probably a youngster from the summer broods, not brave enough to enter the farm itself but keen enough to sit rather gawkily on the shed and fly away to the north as soon as I deposited food onto the roof. I was also over the moon to see my very old, resident female who sat close by in her usual pose, confident with me and looking remarkably well. I watched her and she seemed to take the food around the periphery of the farm, probably to west nest box. Despite her grand old age it seemed she had successfully reared owlets.
I have enjoyed some remarkably close encounters, including watching the male take food from a small shed directly in front of me. He couldn't see me in the shadows but he must have heard the thumping of my heart as I stood stock still, barely daring to move and he glared all around trying to work out where I was. Another night an owl flew low over my head as I waited in the farm gateway and landed in the tree directly above me and last night an owl flew into the combine shed roof as I stood throwing food up for them. Its beautiful ghost like form was within reach of me. No matter how many years I continue with this, I'll never tire of these heart stopping moments.
After a few delicious weeks of gentle hissing and scuttling after dark, the owlets began to show. West nest box is the easiest to catch a glimpse of them from due to the angle of the entrance. They peered rather gormlessly at me as I passed on my morning walk before hurrying to hide away which told me that they were getting close to fledging.
Tonight I had an unexpected and unsettling encounter. As I walked into the farm with Max soon after tea, an owl flew from east nest box. It flew strongly and I assumed it was an adult but when it landed in the field and peered back across at me I knew it was an owlet. Thankfully Max chose not to investigate, the lure of rabbit droppings was far more alluring and the owl took another glance at me and flew strongly up onto the grain store roof. This was encouraging. If it could fly this high it could get back to the nest box yet my photos showed an owlet with plenty of fluff still left to develop into adult feathers. I ran away from the yard calling Max as I went, and left it to find its way back. I was dismayed to see a buzzard close by but this flew away to the east and as dusk fell I knew the youngster had a good chance of returning to the natal nest site. I hope I am not greeted with a sad little pile of feathers in the morning but when the owlets are this mobile it is fair impossible to intervene.
Good luck little one. I hope you continue to thrive and give me lots of pleasure with your antics as autumn turns to winter across our little fenland farm.
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