A blog to share barn owl and other wildlife and general news about the Retreat and its environment.
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At 56 days since hatching, the first hatched owlet has managed to fly up the box exit for the first time. It didn't venture out on to the ledge - it just clung on to the exit and looked around.
The parent twice brought it prey and tried to feed it as it clung there, but both times the prey was dropped onto the ledge. Perhaps the owlet was too focussed on clinging to the exit to manage to coordinate a food pass!
Soon it will be venturing out onto the ledge, and starting to fly around. It will return to the box, because barn owl parents only feed those at the box, not any that have left and not returned (even if they are stuck on the floor and can't get back to the box).
Expect a second owlet to also achieve this same milestone in the next couple of days.
