Chapter 6 of 23

A Year in the Life of a Barn Owl

Through the seasons in the British countryside

About 3 minute read

Barn Owls do not migrate, and they do not hibernate. The birds you see in your local valley in January are usually the same ones you see in July, and they carry on with life all through the year. What changes is what they are trying to do. In this chapter, we will go around the calendar. The details of each stage come in the chapters that follow.

Winter

Winter is the hardest time. Food is scarcer, prey animals are less active and lighter, the nights are long and cold, and rain and snow make hunting difficult. An owl needs more food when it is cold, not less. Many birds hunt in the daytime, especially in the afternoon, and use fence posts as lookouts to save energy. They often roost in several places, tucked into corners, between straw bales or in old buildings, and they range further from home than they do in summer. It is a time of risk, and it is when many of the year's young birds and some adults die, most often in January and February.

Spring

As the days lengthen, the mood shifts. In late winter and early spring, pairs begin to roost together, and males start bringing food gifts to the females. The two spend time preening each other and visiting nest sites. Unmated birds fly around screeching. The female gains weight, and the male takes over the job of feeding both of them. Eggs are usually laid in April or May, though in some years they turn up a few weeks earlier, and in rare cases in almost any month of the year.

Summer

Summer is the busiest season. The female sits on the eggs for a month, and the owlets hatch one at a time over a couple of weeks. The male hunts almost nonstop, and in June and July you may see him out in broad daylight, catching prey for his growing family. Owlets grow up in a few weeks, and by late summer the youngest are learning to fly. It is a hopeful and hungry time, and it can also go badly wrong if the weather turns wet and cold.

Autumn

Autumn is the time of great change. The youngsters, now fully grown, leave their parents and go searching for a place of their own. Many die in these first few weeks, and the ones that survive settle down by the end of November. The adults finish their moult, and they get ready for winter. The whole cycle takes at least four and a half months from start to finish in even the best years, which is longer than for most birds of a similar size.

Over recent decades, records show that Barn Owls in Britain have been laying their first eggs earlier than they used to. Warmer springs are the likely reason. It is one of many ways in which a changing climate is quietly reshaping our wildlife.