Adorable Barn Owl Pair Bring Up Their Chicks | Full Story | Gylfie & Finn | Robert E Fuller

[Laughter] [Music] spring is here and our barn owl pair finn and gilfie are busy preparing for nesting they got together late last year spending most of their days in the ashton but this nest has caught the eye of other birds kestrel's jack doors and toenails are all taking a look while the barn owls are away so in mid-december they move over to the larger elm stump nest gylfi is first to go [Music] closely followed by finn the male elm stump is a favorite for the barn owls and gylfi has raised four broods here in the last three years [Music] their relationship blossoms and their courtship continues through winter [Music] watch these tender moments as the pair groom each other this is known as aloprenim [Music] this helps repair bonding which is vital if they're going to bring up a brood of chicks together [Music] with the breeding season in full swing nest boxes are in high demand soon the el nest has some unwanted visitors too as finn sits in the entrance the toenail strikes and as it scrambles at the entrance i spot a scar on its foot it's luna a female that recently had two failed eggs and with no chicks to look after she's got a lot of time to defend her territory as the barn owls relax in the entrance luna swoops by again another night as the barn owls enter the nest the toenails in hot pursuit [Music] nevertheless the barn owls prepare for nesting [Music] gylfi looks around for the perfect place to lay [Music] she breaks up pellets to make a soft bed for the eggs [Music] and even begins to dig a nest grape [Music] the male owl finn even has a go too [Music] finn is a young male so this may well be his first breeding season during the courting process the male usually shows he can provide for the female and the chicks but finn hasn't quite got the hang of this yet he brings in a mouse but is reluctant to hand it over [Music] and his mating technique shows his inexperience too [Music] but after a few tries he seems to have got it [Music] it's been amazing to watch these bar now so closely and with the courtship going well we're expecting an egg any day now it's the beginning of may and after months of courtship gylfi seems to be ready to lay for her mate finn this is all new at only two years old this is his first breeding season he had a shaky start but he's now becoming a devoted partner during courtship he needs to prove he can provide for his future family and he's doing a great job once she's had a food delivery they're ready to mate again mating is a way that the barn owls create a strong pair bond and this is vital to bring up chicks together successfully soon gilfie reforms an escape and spends long periods of time sitting all signs she's ready to lay a few days later heavy breathing confirms my suspicions [Music] and she reveals her first egg [Music] she starts to incubate straight away in between now and hatching she'll rarely move from this position finn arrives with food for his mate he's taking his job very seriously [Music] gylf is quick to make the most of this food laying an egg is hard work it's lovely to see how devoted finn is to his mate [Music] but he's still a bit clumsy [Music] this is all new to the young male gilfie stands up to reveal her egg and naturally finn is curious [Music] finn checks it over with his beak and wonders if he should brood it himself guilty steps in and pushes finn out of the way incubating is best left to the experts barn owls lay eggs every two to three days and as if on cue i can see guilty breathing heavily again [Music] she lifts up thinking she's laid a second egg but it's nowhere to be seen [Music] as she turns the egg drops out somewhat unconventionally finn returns later and gazes down at this second egg [Music] gylfi gently muzzles him away and returns to brooding over the next few days he rarely leaves aside [Music] he's so protective of gylfi and the eggs soon a third is revealed completing the clutch [Music] over the next month gylfi spends most of her time incubating only leaving the eggs for the occasional preening stretch and to answer the call of nature [Music] meanwhile finn is a real trooper he's working hard bringing him food around the clock and spending his days standing guard over guilty in the eggs [Music] but there's unwanted attention around the nest the barn owls must be vigilant [Music] nearby tornados are roosting and the highly territorial night after night the pair endure a barrage of attacks [Music] and to make matters worse gilfie knocks finn from the nest giving the tornies another opportunity [Music] but thankfully they keep the toenails at bay and no harm comes to the eggs soon they're ready to hatch gylfi stands to reveal a huge crack in the first egg i can even hear the tiny chick cheeping [Music] guilty lends a helping hand removing part of the eggshell and finn watches on in amazement after 31 days of incubation the first egg is hatched [Music] finn stays close to his mate preenina and is intrigued by the empty eggshell [Music] bar now eggs hatch at the same interval they were laid so three days later a second chick is revealed and the final check follows three days after this spa now family is now complete [Music] finn brings in food constantly but competition between his chicks is fierce and the youngest is lagging behind it's a lot smaller than its siblings and when gylfi tries to feed it it just won't take [Music] overnight it crawls away from the warmth of its siblings and gylfi doesn't seem to realize at this age chicks need constant brooding to keep them warm [Music] and by the time gylfi notices the lone chick i sense it could be too late [Music] by morning the chick has died nature can be cruel at times thankfully the two remaining chicks are growing well finn and gilfie now have one less mouth to feed so these outlets now have a better chance of survival it's going to be amazing to watch this barn owl family develop and i can't wait to see how finn steps up to this new challenge [Music] it's mid-june and the outlets are just under two weeks old nutmeg is only three days older than her brother time but she's already so much bigger both chicks are tiny and helpless but thanks to their attentive parents they're already making great progress [Music] the female guilty brewed to two chicks to keep them warm it'll be a while before they can regulate their own body heat meanwhile the male al finn is on hunting duty he heads over to the feeding post and it's stunning to see him in the evening light the food here is hotly contested and he narrowly misses a swipe from a kestrel but he still returns to the nest with a meal for his family he's an attentive mate for gylfi and a great dad for the outlets and when he's not out hunting he's always in a nest by the side at 16 days old nutmeg's eyes [Music] open now able to see her surroundings she starts to explore shuffling around on her haunches [Music] and when left her own devices she's even trying to feed herself too [Music] finn brings in regular food deliveries he's really stepped up to the challenge of being a first time dad [Music] and he's prepared to defend his brood too the toenail swipes at finn as he returns from hunting and this fearless barnal doesn't hesitate to attack [Music] finn's swift actions means the family are now safe nutmeg's down is developing and she's even stretching her legs and wings time looks so much smaller than his sister it's amazing to think there's only three days between them but he seems healthy and he's very vocal [Music] when finn brings in a mouse time is first in line it's got a healthy appetite and swallows it down whole now at 24 days old time is covered in fluffy white down his eyes are open now and it's becoming more mobile waddling around and stretching his surprisingly long legs as it begins to stand [Music] it's so incredible to get an insight into the first month of these chicks lives they're developing fast with the parents there for them every step of the way and with my cameras capturing every moment i can't wait to watch as they continue to grow [Music] gilfie and finn have proved themselves to be expert parents providing them with food and warmth up till now now at 31 days old gylfi can't brewed nutmeg anymore she's just too big but soon she stops brooding time too but nutmeg's there to ensure a little brother keeps warm both have started to explore the nest nutmeg even starts to stretch her wings time is three days younger but he mimics his sister and stretches too even though he hasn't quite found his feet yet nutmeg and time are now more active and need lots of food luckily first time dad finn is providing more than enough for both of them [Music] but it's no easy task when torniel's bomber and luna are constantly chasing finn down [Music] over the next few days nutmeg's heart-shaped facial disc develops this ginger fringing indicates that she's a female there's just three days in between these chicks but what a difference in size time is still growing well though standing and stretching [Music] sister nutmeg is ensuring he's eating enough food which is behavior i've rarely seen before she even passes him a [Music] mouse now the chicks no longer need constant attention finn starts prospecting for new nest sites [Music] i'm wondering if they're thinking about trying for a second brood i notice him at ashton first [Music] and then i see him at beach [Applause] [Music] it's a tight squeeze but they soon look settled there [Music] guilty even starts nest scraping but they don't forget their responsibilities [Music] still providing food for nutmeg and time [Music] when she's seven weeks old nutmeg decides to see what lies beyond the nest she tries to make it up to the entrance but fails and tumbles back today is not the day when she returns to her brother's side towards the end of july the chicks are looking restless nutmeg finally makes it to the entrance for the first time she sees the outside world at last [Music] time looks on in envy [Music] that night after some rest time feeds well and the next day after what looks like some gentle encouragement from nutmeg he tries to jump up to the entrance too but he doesn't quite make it [Music] just as the chicks settle down for a well-earned rest a wood pigeon lands on the entrance [Music] and enters the nest jumping over to the ledge [Music] it's amazing to now see time protecting his older sister after a month of her looking after him his fierce posturing and calls is enough to see the pigeon off time seems pleased with his work [Music] over the next few days both chicks spend a lot of time trying to fly around the nest [Music] onto the ledge and over to the entrance they're really flapping the wings and growing in confidence all the time [Music] at eight and a half weeks nutmeg is looking like a fully grown owl so it's the perfect time to fit the chicks with id rings so today's ringing day for the young bar nails nutmeg and thyme so i'm going to get them down we're going to put the identification rings on them i've already checked the parents guilty and finn are not in the nest nutmeg's quite well feathered so we're going to see if i can get her first [Music] there we go that's nutmeg here's check number two [Music] all right so i've gotten both safely in this bag and we'll get the rings on as quick as we can all right then let's see what we've got here so i've got gene thorpe to help me uh do the ringing we have nutmeg in time let's do uh nutmeg first she's well feathered look at that so we've got a female here oh look jane she's a beauty so we put these rings on each time and use the btr rings out of gene yep [Music] right we're gonna do a weigh-in might as well just pop her in 385 yep so that's good wait a minute yes i always take this opportunity to check to see if they're male or female sparkles change your color so we can tell she's a female we've got these lovely uh sparkles along the side looks like someone's done them with a little bit of pen and under a wing here as well and then she's got this lovely uh ginger fringing around her facial disc [Music] right on to the next one unbelievably is only three days younger but look at the difference with this yeah so sex wise it's going to be tricky at this age in it see uh our little colors there in these uh fellas here we've got coloured frilly there is it no could be a boy yeah i think it's a bite jean has years of ringing experience so she can quickly apply the rings causing as little stress as possible it's best to ring them at this stage and the ring will fit their leg for the rest of their life brilliant all right let's back it up yes this one's 400 so the younger chicks actually heavier and i thought that when i was bringing them out the next year i thought this is this is heavy little one so this one's three days younger so they're about eight weeks old these chicks now uh and this one's actually three days younger but uh weighs 15 grams more yeah it's a little chubby so so this is a male the other one's a female so females in general uh heavier but it's not always the case that's a little beauty in it that one yeah so ringing the birds we can then track them if we see this owl again they've all got individual numbers on them so we can hopefully see this owl flying around here and find this unique ring number and that's the best bit about it in it yeah yeah it is yeah magic though all right we'll get them back in our nest so that's got two more ale chicks run gonna get them back up here and into the nest and see how they settle down so the whole process took less than 10 minutes and you can see the chicks are relatively unfazed [Music] once the chicks are safely returned to their nest i checked the cameras and it's not long before they're pruning and exploring the nest again [Music] later that evening nutmeg finally jumps to the entrance and takes her very first flight later that night she returns to the nest landing on the roof before hopping inside barnell fledglings often return to the nest for shelter and to get food from their parents which is a good idea especially when there's aggressive toenails around [Music] for the next few days nutmeg is still hanging around the nest you can see the chicks still have a really close bond as nutmeg sits in the entrance one night time finally manages to join her and also takes his first peek at the outside world it's lovely to see them together but he's not ready to go yet so he's spending a lot of time on his own in elmstone [Music] meanwhile i'm delighted to see nutmeg on the feeding post for the very first time and she's even eating by herself which is great news but finn is still making over 20 food deliveries during the night [Music] so nutmeg often returns for an easy meal [Music] time has almost lost all of this fluffy down [Music] he's spending a lot of time at the entrance now head bobbing and taking in all of his surroundings then a tony sweeps past knocking time backwards [Music] after that he decides to leave fledging for another night [Music] life outside the nest can be hard nutmeg has already had a run-in with a toenail and a stoat but she's still living life in the wild and is keen to entice time out too calling for him to join her outside the nest [Music] he tries [Music] but he's not quite ready yet [Music] two days later 68 days after hatching time takes his first flight [Music] i still see nutmeg regularly around the area turning up on the feeding post but after his fledge i haven't seen time again i wonder what's happened to him a few days later i find a clump of barn owl feathers from a young male owl [Music] and i see a fox hanging around i don't have any proof but i do wonder if time has been taken by it i guess i'll never know nutmeg and time were in good hands from the second they hatched [Music] gylfi is an experienced mother first time dad finn really gave his all providing more than enough food to allow these outlets to go into strong fledglings wonderful i'm able to watch nutmeg most nights as she grows from a newly fledged youngster to a confident barn owl [Music] thank you for watching and i hope you enjoyed the video don't forget to like comment and subscribe to see more here's a taste of what you'll enjoy seeing on this channel [Music]

Channel: Robert E Fuller

Views: 1,327,398

Keywords: wildlife, nature, animals, birds, wildlife art, robert fuller, robert e fuller

Id: 73IWbTvQ7Ew

Length: 30min 5sec (1805 seconds)

Published: Sat Jan 01 2022