Barn owls Gylfie and Dryer,
This is this pair's first breeding season together, and the younger owl Dryer's first courtship. But they’ve overcome these challenges and on the 31st May Gylfie laid her first egg and 4 days later Dryer seems to think there should be another. Watch him look under her expectantly. But he doesn't have too long to wait because 7 hours later, Gylfie reveals a second egg and 3 days later a 3rd, then 4 days later on June 11th there is a 4th egg. New owl dad Dryer seems fascinated, but when he tries to inspect the clutch a protective Gylfie sees him off Incubation For the next 32 days, Gylfie takes on the role of sole incubator, whilst Dryer provides food for her and he is very efficient, delivering rats, mice, and voles regularly. Sometimes there is more than Gylfie can consume!
Barn owl diet
An incubating barn owl needs about 4 prey items each night, 10% of their body weight. When Dryer arrives and finds the eggs unattended he panics. Standing over them and calling for Gylfie, but she has only popped out to stretch her wings. 31 days after the first egg was laid the first chick emerges. It is amazing to see how gentle Gylfie is as she helps it out of its shell. Barn owl chicks The chicks hatch bald and blind. They don't open their eyes until they are 1 and 2 weeks old. When a squirrel comes to close to the nest, the owls panic and in the rush to get out they knock the chick across the nest. I climb up to put it back as it won't be safe where it is.
Dryer meets chicks
Later the new owl dad sees his chick for the very first time and seems transfixed. Two days a 2nd chick emerges and then a 3rd. Dryer does a tremendous job providing and is keen to show off his hoard! It is another 5 days before the 4th chick hatches and it looks weak. Intervention isn’t possible now, it could mean Gylfie and Dryer abandon the brood and puts all 4 chicks at risk and so sadly this chick dies. But then Gylfie feeds it to the remaining three This isn’t rare in birds of prey… they will eat their dead chicks before they start decomposing to avoid attracting scavengers to the nest.
Dryer has a lot to learn. He tries to deliver prey whole, but the chicks can’t are too young to tear it up and Gylfie steps in to help. But soon the chicks are swallowing their prey whole and can thermoregulate, which means they don’t need Gylfie to keep them warm But Gylfie stays close, keeping guard and helping Dryer hunt and soon these chicks will be learning to fly.
