Key Dates
27/2/18 – Beast from the East batters Yorkshire as 70mph winds and freezing temperature hit Holme-on-Spalding-moor taking the area into the minus figures.
2/3/18 – Storm Emma hits extending the cold weather.
18/3/18 – Snow and minus temperatures still here, The winds have forced snow into the Tawny Box No1, this was prime mating and egg formation time for all birds across the area. The Barn Owls have timed it better.
Little Owls
2-4 eggs 1 brood, Laid in April, 28 days incubation, Owlets fly at 5 weeks old.
Little Owl Hedgerow Hide 2017
1/4/17 - one egg
6/4/17 - three eggs
7/4/17 - four eggs
15/4/17 - six eggs
5/5/17 - hatching
23/5/17 - all eggs hatched
2/6/17 - fledglings outside
9/6/17 - fledglings on post
Little Owl Hedgerow Hide 2018
11/3/18 - Female using nest box
25/3/18 - Mating behaviour in roosting box
6/4/18 - one egg laid (1/4/ in 2017)
8/4/18 - second egg laid
11/4/18 - third egg laid
13/4/18 - fourth egg laid
15/4/18 - fifth egg laid
18/4/18 - sixth egg laid – full incubation
4/5/18 - five eggs remain, one eaten
12/5/18 - first owlet hatches
20/5/18 - three owlets hatched total, one egg eaten, one still remains (26/6/18)
25/5/18 - out of the three owlets, two look as though they cannot use there legs properly, both legs always straight out in-front of them not much claw movement etc.
1/6/18 - one Owlet remains. Didn’t see what happened to the lost owlets, presumed eaten.
24/6/18 - one healthy Owlet seen branching.
29/07/18 - Healthy Owlet still around nest site.
Little Owl Hedgerow Hide 2019
7/2/2019 - Mating on the post
6/4/19 - One egg laid in roosting box
7/4/19 - Female sat in old nest box
8/4/19 - Female laid 2nd egg in roosting box
Five eggs laid , only 4 hatched, 1 egg approx. 3 days after the third.
2/6/19 - Due to a new female the owlets were not getting fed as much, also due to the nest box design the three bigger birds could reach to the inner ledge taking all the food from the male who was doing most of the feeding, the runt couldn't reach, eventually to weak he died and was eaten by his siblings. The Female has a swollen foot and has a job putting her weight on it, she is often seen in the sugar beet field just sat for hours looking around not hunting.
9/6/19 - The three remaining Owlets are making there way outside on the platform taking food from the adults (mainly the male, the female has a good feed and takes about two trips to the owlets before leaving).
14/6/19 - Owlets on the perches.
2020.
Interesting to say the least! the new Little Owl box was empty, the Original box that been up for several years, well i had to stare at the screen for a few moments before i realised what was inside the box, on the left was a adult rabbit laid on its side full length of the box (remember this is four meters up an ancient oak tree) at the back of the box in the darkness was something curled up, not moving, asleep, i made a bit of noise, ah the distinctive face of a Stoat.
The spotted backed Stoat had dragged an adult rabbit up the tree into the box as a cached future meal. I setup my Camera Trap at the base of the tree for a week. As you can see from the first photo below the tree has a dead section at centre which links the hole top left, this is the route the Stoat uses to get to the nest.
As you can imagine we haven't had time for any monitoring so have no clue if the Owls survived, hopefully she's sat on several eggs.
2021.
We had been monitoring there usual nest site since the start of February, placing a trip camera at there favourite post which caught them mating on the 25/2/2021 at 3.40am, unfortunately they have abandoned the site this year. There are a few more pairs of LO on the farm, and they have been successful but the inspection cameras had failed so we gave up trying to monitor for this year. Fingers crossed for 2022.
Little Owl Holme Farm House
(didn’t monitor much)
2/5/18 - Three eggs, remains of small birds as cached prey
13/5/18 - two eggs remain after 3 days of heavy rain
14/6/18 - totally abandoned, checked for 48 hours no activity, possible predation?
May 2021 - Adults seen in tree, presumed Owlets in box, Camera failed so unable to monitor.
Barn Owls
4-7 eggs, 2 broods, laid April early May, 33 days incubation, Owlets fly at 10 weeks.
Four ways they use nest boxes, hide, roost, nest & growth of young. Most dont roost at nest site all year, were they do the male always roosts elsewhere. 70% use nest boxes, they use sites that are highly active like farm yards. 90% of Barn Owl carcasses contain rat poison traces. Home range is 5km. Nov-Jan best time to erect next boxes at new sites or close to existing ones.
Barn Owl Oak Tree No1
2/5/18 - two eggs laid
3/5/18 - three eggs total laid.
16/6/18 - three owlets hatched (missed the dates due to holiday) two small, one twice the size im guessing 12th one hatched, the other two 14th
17/6/18 - One weak owlet eaten by female with small amounts been fed to two remaining.
22/6/18 - The other very small owlet was looking weak and was also eaten by the female.
24/6/18 - Only one very healthy owlet remains, checking the amount of voles been brought by the male it didn’t appear to be a food issue.
28/07/2018 - Barn Owlet branching.
29/07/2018 - Barn Owlet fledged. Two pigeons moved in box.
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2019 - Nest box camera failed. Cannot replace.
June 2019 - After several days of rain Adults seen hunting during the daytime.
Barn Owl near Little Owl Hide
9/6/2019 Adult spotted leaving box after a gun shot was fired.
12/2019 - Box to be checked over for the first time with monitoring camera.
May 2021 Box still in decent condition, will replace and fit camera later in year.
Tawny Owls
2-4 eggs, 1 brood, laid in March early April, 30 days incubation, Owlets fly at five weeks old.
Tawny Owl @ Tawny Wood 2018
9/3/18 - Female using nest box
12/4/18 - Four eggs counted total
14/4/18 - First egg hatches
15/4/18 - Only one Owlet hatched out of four eggs, female seen eating egg shells
7/5/18 - Healthy Owlet close to branching
9/5/18 - Branched
22/5/18 - Adults hunting late afternoon to keep up with demands from there owlet.
29/07/18 - Adults still feeding Owlet.
Tawny Owl @ Tawny Wood 2019
15/3/19 - Female using nest box.
7/4/19 - Three eggs been incubated.
??/??/19 - Two eggs hatched.
??/??/19 - Two Healthy Owlets fledged the nest.
2/6/19 - Adults feeding the two Owlets during the day.
9/6/19 - Male still feeding the two Owlets who are getting more used to there surrounding.
1/7/19 - Male still feeding the two Owlets, monitoring for the female continues.
Tawny Owl @ Tawny Wood 2020.
The box was empty so either he wasn't successful in wooing another mature female or they preferred to make a nest elsewhere in the woodland.
Tawny Owl @ Tawny Wood 2021.
This year we had success, she picked the 2nd box to nest in so we had to rig up a camera to keep track on progress, She laid four eggs & two Owlets survived, one thing that stood out compared to last time they had young, the female was doing most of the feeding, unlike last time were she waited for the male to bring food to herself and she'd dish it out to the young. So maybe the 2019 male moved on and a new pair setup, both immature? Allot of photographers were successful but a few weeks after opening the hide allot struggled to get shots, were the adults timid? or was there to much noise coming from the hide, we did find crisp packets, hard boiled egg shells, nuts and drinks cans on the floor of the hide. After to many failed visits we closed the hide and let them continue there usual routine, i did return a few nights later and got some great shots of the adult Female and the two Owlets.
Timeline.
20th March. Sat in nest box.
11th April. Counted four eggs.
18th April. Two Owlets keeping her busy.
5th May. Adults coming to hide.
23rd May. Adult visiting 15.15pm.
24th May. Adult visiting at 15.10 taking food to feed Owlets.
28th May. 17.20pm Adult visiting till late.
7th June. Adults and Owlets seen about.
22nd June. All in front of hide 16.00pm.
5th July. Adults and Owlets still visiting hide.
Tawny Owl No2
(Didn’t monitor much)
16/3/18 - Using nest box
6/5/18 - two healthy owlets
12/5/18 - Box empty can only hope they all branched
2019 - Couldn't monitor due to repeated damage to camera cable.
Tawny Owl No3
Took over an Kestrel box near the Pond Hide, assumed two Owlets.
Short Eared Owls
4-8 eggs, 2 broods (rare 2nd brood nov/dec), laid during April, 24 days incubation, Owlets fly at 4 weeks.
2017 - Two hunting over the river.
2017 - Three hunting over the river
2019 - There usual hunting area has been cut, no Owls seen as 6/7/2021.
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