A blog to share barn owl and other wildlife and general news about the Retreat and its environment.
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A stock dove attacks a barn owl roosting in the nest box
04. March 2025 - Wildlife
Stock doves nested in our barn owl nest box (thereby excluding the owls) in 2022. Last year and again this year they are persistent in visiting the box hoping to find it empty.
We have a barn owl which roosts here most days (though occasionally misses a day). Today the doves came again, and entered the box to attack her.
The roosting barn owl promptly settled into defensive posture, back towards the corner of the box (for support?), standing on one leg leaving the other leg free to strike out with its long sharp claws.
In the full speed video it happens too quickly for you to see the leg strike, but keep watching and it is repeated in slow motion.
