Yesterday I found a new single story barn, and when I went to approach the square hole in the wall 2 barn owls flew out! So today I decided to do a bit of research and ask around the local farms to see if they knew anything about the barns I had found. I spoke to a very friendly man called J. Christian, who told me all about the small single story barn, and he looks after it, so he knew all about the barn owls that lived there.
The single story barn with the 2 Barn OwlsHe told me to talk to a man called R.C. Shepherd, and gave me his address, so I went and looked him up in the phone book. I gave him a ring and it turns out he was my old headmaster at primary school, and he remembered me well =]
It turns out that he works full time with conservation work now, and he is the one that has put all the nest boxes up in the area, he has put up over 1000 nest boxes, and monitors over 200 of them. He works with Barn Owls, Little Owls, Kestrels, the lot!
He has promised to get in touch soon so I will be able to go round with him for a day to monitor the chicks at the nests, and I will be allowed to photograph them under his license to disturb Section 1 Birds.
I have also been given permission to go around Mr. Christian's farm, to photograph the little owl that resides there =]
After finding out all of this information and spending a few hours at home, I decided to go out to the small barn again in daylight to see what was there, as I had been given permission to go and have a look around and photograph around the site.
As I was returning to the barn, I saw a kestrel fly past! So that gives me another bird to look out for while I'm spending time there.
When I arrived at the barn I walked around to the back, where it was sheltered, but open, and in the daylight I could see an awful lot more! The first thing I noticed was a series of holes and tunnels in the mud, and as I walked further in I spotted a dead badger [=( ]
I was in for a treat, I opened the sliding door and saw plenty more of the holes, and as I walked past what I think was a big plough, I saw the remains of a bird of prey, I'm pretty sure it was a bird of prey, some of the skeleton was still there along with the feathers.
So I'd found a badger set, finally =]
My mum was with me, she helped me out for a bit, and as she walked into the barn to see what she could see, I figured it might make the owls fly off, so I sat outside the barn with my camera, and sure enough, one after another the barn owls flew out from the roof and away into the fields =]
When I walked into the barn, I looked up and saw a nest box =] I'm certain that it was for the Barn Owls, but I heard nothing, so I assumed there were no chicks.
I saw another wooden door, which I presumed was the door to the part of the barn where the owls were roosting and also flew out from.
I managed to dig out the bottom of the door and squeezed in, and as I was walking on what I thought was stable ground, the ground underneath me suddenly collapsed and my foot went straight through a tunnel, sorry badgers! This room was amazing, there was a big metal trough attached to the wall, sturdy enough to walk along. It would be a perfect place to sit in and photograph the owls from the corner.
I saw a hole that went underneath the barn to outside, which I assumed would be where the badgers came out.
I waited a while for the owls to return but I think they were smart enough to realise I was still there, so I headed off, but all in all it has been a really amazing and eventful day!
It turns out that he works full time with conservation work now, and he is the one that has put all the nest boxes up in the area, he has put up over 1000 nest boxes, and monitors over 200 of them. He works with Barn Owls, Little Owls, Kestrels, the lot!
He has promised to get in touch soon so I will be able to go round with him for a day to monitor the chicks at the nests, and I will be allowed to photograph them under his license to disturb Section 1 Birds.
I have also been given permission to go around Mr. Christian's farm, to photograph the little owl that resides there =]
After finding out all of this information and spending a few hours at home, I decided to go out to the small barn again in daylight to see what was there, as I had been given permission to go and have a look around and photograph around the site.
As I was returning to the barn, I saw a kestrel fly past! So that gives me another bird to look out for while I'm spending time there.
When I arrived at the barn I walked around to the back, where it was sheltered, but open, and in the daylight I could see an awful lot more! The first thing I noticed was a series of holes and tunnels in the mud, and as I walked further in I spotted a dead badger [=( ]
I was in for a treat, I opened the sliding door and saw plenty more of the holes, and as I walked past what I think was a big plough, I saw the remains of a bird of prey, I'm pretty sure it was a bird of prey, some of the skeleton was still there along with the feathers.
So I'd found a badger set, finally =]
My mum was with me, she helped me out for a bit, and as she walked into the barn to see what she could see, I figured it might make the owls fly off, so I sat outside the barn with my camera, and sure enough, one after another the barn owls flew out from the roof and away into the fields =]
When I walked into the barn, I looked up and saw a nest box =] I'm certain that it was for the Barn Owls, but I heard nothing, so I assumed there were no chicks.
I saw another wooden door, which I presumed was the door to the part of the barn where the owls were roosting and also flew out from.
I managed to dig out the bottom of the door and squeezed in, and as I was walking on what I thought was stable ground, the ground underneath me suddenly collapsed and my foot went straight through a tunnel, sorry badgers! This room was amazing, there was a big metal trough attached to the wall, sturdy enough to walk along. It would be a perfect place to sit in and photograph the owls from the corner.
I saw a hole that went underneath the barn to outside, which I assumed would be where the badgers came out.
I waited a while for the owls to return but I think they were smart enough to realise I was still there, so I headed off, but all in all it has been a really amazing and eventful day!
Love this post. You keep reading and reading, and the suspense builds (well it did for me) and then WOW, look at the pictures. I love the middle one. The lighting is beautiful on the owls face and wing edges.
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