Tawny owl Luna's tragic loss has a happy ending

This is the story of a wild tawny owl named Luna who's eggs fail to hatch and it has a very happy ending.

Luna's story

The story begins in January as Luna and her mate Bomber look for somewhere to nest. This owl couple are an established pair and nested here at my home in North Yorkshire last year, when their eggs sadly failed.

Beech stump

Beech stump is an owl box I made (from an old beech stump) many years ago and in fact this is where Luna grew up. Ironically, Luna is herself a fostered owl and back in 2017 I placed her in this box with a wild tawny owl pair who raised her as their own.

Nest revamp

But since Bomber & Luna were here, I have made some renovations and the owl pair seem surprised at how it has changed. But they seem to like it and it isn't long before Luna begins scraping out a hollow into the sawdust. This will do for an egg.

Fighting off competition

The newly restored nest has caught the eye of a few other birds too and Luna and Bomber have to see off barn owl Gylfie before they can settle down to making it their home. Listen to them call to one another.

Nesting

Tawny owls make their nests in holes in trees, and both male and females scrape out the hollows the eggs will sit in. Luna also seems to like to add her own touches and I see her picking off bits of bark and making home improvements.

Egg laying

By mid-May, Luna lays her first egg. But even as she sits brooding it a jackdaw and then a kestrel land at then entrance. Luna stays calm. Tawny owls lay eggs every two to three days… and even with disturbance from jackdaws outside… 64 hours later she’s laid a second egg. And then a third, 64 hours after that. Her clutch of three is now complete.

Incubation

Tawny owls incubate their eggs for approximately 30 days and as Luna quietly broods the clutch Bomber drops in with regular food deliveries.

Then tragedy strikes and Luna is trapped

But a month later, in spite of Luna’s constant brooding there are no signs of hatching and it becomes clear that yet again Luna's eggs have failed to hatch. To make matters worse, the jackdaws have returned… this time, starting to bring nesting material into the entrance. Within hours, the nest entrance is full of sticks. And Luna is trapped inside.

Hope

Meanwhile, I get a call about two owl chicks found on the ground at a nearby farm. They’ve fallen from their nest in a straw stack… and the bales are about to be moved. Without warmth and food these chicks could perish in a matter of hours.

Owlets get intensive care

I have to act quickly to keep these chicks alive. There’s no choice but to rescue them. Back at base, the chicks are fed. It’s never nice to take an animal out of the wild, but this really was the only option.

And a plan hatched to place them with Luna

Luna is the ideal foster mother for these two. She's still preparing for those eggs to hatch, so she’s full of maternal hormones.

But first I have to release her

Meanwhile, in the nest, Luna is still trapped. If I don’t remove the sticks she will die. To prevent her hurting herself, I remove the back of the nest. And with her gone, the nest can be cleared.

Luna meets her new chicks

I couldn’t have hoped for a better outcome. Luna rushes in and envelopes the two chicks, brooding them instantly. It's almost as though she was expecting them.