Heligan Barn Owls 2015

10th April

So after weeks of waiting we're delighted to let you know that our female Barn Owl laid her first egg at about 4pm on the 10th April and right in front of the camera too!

We are hopeful that she'll lay some more so keep your eyes peeled over the next few days to see what happens, expect the next one in 2-3 days.

Barn Owls incubate their eggs for about 31 days so the first owlet is due to hatch around 12th May.

15th April 2015

So after what has felt like the longest wait we've ever known, we're delighted that the female laid a second egg at about 1.30pm today.

The male is bringing in prey deliveries a few times each night and the birds are still mating and mutually preening. We're still hopeful for more eggs but are not sure how long she's going to make us wait this time!

20th April

So the answer was the same again. We have another 5 day gap inbetween our second and third eggs!

They are still mating every night and plenty of food is still being delivered, so going on her current pattern there maybe another egg at the weekend?

24th April

Fourth egg laid this evening!

13th May 

Our first Barn Owl chick hatched yesterday afternoon. The female has finally moved the eggs back into view of the camera and we can confirm she laid 4 eggs. The next three chicks are due on the 17th, 22nd and 26th May.

The female will continue to brood the owlets until they are a few weeks old and able to keep themselves warm. During this time the male will provide food for both the female and the growing owlets. A short video of the owlet can be seen here or on our Facebook page.

25th May

A second owlet has finally hatched about 6:30am this morning, 12 days after the first. We're not sure if it's the third egg and it's a bit late, or the fourth and it's a bit early - we're just glad that owlet number one finally has a little brother or sister!

It looked like the second egg pipped, but the owlet failed to emerge, we'll have to wait a few days to be able to tell the fate of the third/fourth egg.

31st May

Our owlets are now 19 and 6 days old and are growing fast. The older of the two is starting to be a bit more dependent and has begun to explore around the nest box.

The female is still sitting on her other 2 eggs but we would be surprised to see either of them hatch now. A video can be seen here.

27th June

The owlets are now big enough to have been left to roost by themselves and are also back out of the blind spot after their escapade with the giant cobweb earlier this week. We are hoping to get them ringed shortly so will then know their genders and weights.

We have unfortunately been having some technical issues with the webcam over the last few days, we're hoping to be able to get this back up and running in the early part of next week. 

3rd July

Today we welcomed David Ramsden from The Barn Owl Trust in to ring and monitor the health of our fledgling Barn Owl chicks. We are delighted to report that they were both recorded at very healthy weights and are also both female. They are now all set to make their own way into the Heligan Estate, as and when they are ready.