Approaching their second season together, barn owls Gylfie & Finn search for the best nest.
Ready to nest
There are plenty of bird boxes around my Yorkshire home, but the obvious choice for this barn owl pair is Elm Stump box. Gylfie has raised four successive broods here and knows it well. So by January they were scraping out a hollow ready for their eggs. After spending some time getting this nest ready for the season, Gylfie suddenly decided to tour other available nests.
Tour of nests
Her first stop was Sycamore Stump. Gylfie nested here with a previous mate, Barney, back in 2019. But this year this owl box is occupied by another barn owl pair, Willow &Ghost.Another option is Ash Stump and Gylfie & Finn relocate here for a while, scraping out more hollows and even snoozing in it during the day. But they don't keep a close enough watch, so kestrel pair Mr & Mrs Kes move in. The barn owls move on to Beech Stump. They had five chicks here last Autumn which sadly perished due to bad weather and lack of food. In case they choose this box this season, I decide to renovate it, making it wider and more comfortable.
Nest box wars
But as soon as it's ready tawny owls Bomber and his mate Luna move in. If Gylfie wants it she will have to fight the much larger species for it.This doesn't defer Gyflie, and there's a ferocious flurry of feathers and talons. The tawny owls have nested at Beech Stump for the past two years, (they are early nesters and had already left by the time Gylfie & Finn moved in last year) and are not going to give it up without a fight. The tawny owl pair attack Gylfie & Finn, who retreat back to Elm Stump.
Season begins
After two months of searching for the perfect nest, with the tawny owls still in Beech, Gylfie's decision is made for her. Elm Stump is the only option left. Now the nest is decided, it's time to start a family. The two barn owls are inseparable, and Finn rarely leaves Gylfie’s side. At the start of May, Gylfie begins contractions. Finn looks on, concerned, but then falls asleep and misses the moment the first egg is laid. Finn has been a father before, but he's still curious about it all. As Gylfie goes on to lay three more eggs, he can't stares at each in wonder and even tries to incubate. Unlike most birds of prey, barn owl eggs are incubated as soon as they’re laid. This means Gylfie is almost entirely reliant on her barn owl mate Finn to support her. Thankfully he is very attentive and brings regular food deliveries. Barn owls lay eggs with 2-3 day intervals and Gylfie lays like clockwork until the clutch is complete.
