A blog to share barn owl and other wildlife and general news about the Retreat and its environment.
The six barn owlets are doing well
25. May 2026 - Wildlife
The six barn owlets are all doing well.
The smallest looks tiny next to its elder siblings, but of course they are twice its age.
Only the smallest does not yet have a full covering of white fluff. The youngest is still largely under the female, for warmth, but she has given up trying to contain the others as they are too large and anyway no longer need her body heat.
As she no longer needs to brood them for warmth, she will be going out to hunt more often, supporting the males hunting efforts as the young get bigger and hungrier. Later she will stop roosting in the box and both parents will simply call in to drop off supplies several times between between dusk and dawn.
If you look into the box using the live owlcam, you may sometimes see owlets lying on their side, as the two at bottom left on the photo. Though it appears alarming, as though they have collapsed or died, this is simply how they rest sometimes!
