Each afternoon around 5pm, just as the light is fading a Barn owl appears over the wildflower meadow.
A barn owl’s Latin name is Tyto alba literally means White owl, but in folklore it has many different names Banshee, Billy Whit, Death owl, Farmer’s friend, Ghost owl, screech owl, rat owl, and screaming owl.
I believe this is the owl responsible for the owl pellets in my last blog post, although I have spotted a second owl further along my local patch.
Hopefully, this is a male and female owl meaning there might be a good boost to the local owl population.
Over the past few months of constant wet weather, barn owls have been struggling to survive. The problem lies in the feathers not being waterproof meaning they can’t fly in the rain and have been starving to death.
The reason for the feathers not being waterproof is that the preen oil or powder dust that other birds use for waterproofing stops the feathers being so soft. It is the softness of the feathers that makes the owl’s flight so silent.
I’m looking forward to spending some more time photographing and filming the owls as the evenings get lighter.
Some afternoons, while waiting for the barn owl to appear I’ve been taking photos of the Roe deer.
One sad thing that happened recently was one of the foxes (see below) that I take photos of was knocked down and killed on the road.
Please slow down for wildlife!
Sorry to hear about the fox, and about the owls dying because of too much rain. How exciting that you have been able to watch and film this and another one. I hope they will be able to have offspring!
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Thank you. I’m really pleased at the thought of more barn owls
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I had no idea about the non waterproof feathers. This time last year, we had a barn owl in the meadows by our little river in Berkshire and she would fly every afternoon in broad daylight, week after week…I managed to get dozens of photos, it was magical to witness….and then she (of course, “she” is a guess) was gone by the end of March, haven’t seen her since. Really hoping she or her offspring have survived. So sorry to hear about the fox. Saw one close-by in the local woods the other week (by far the closest I’ve ever been to one)…carrying something very large and bloody off into the scrub, again it was magical to get so close with a prime view in daylight.
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I was once walking the dog in nearby field and a completely silent white barn owl glided past us. Was breathtaking. Great pictures. Sorry about the fox. 😦
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Barn owls are so silent, Except when they are screaming 🙂
Yes, I was upset about the fox, he was one of last years cubs. People drive so fast down the country roads near here.
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