|
|
Please note that while these images will appear in Internet Explorer and Opera, because of software incompatibilities you will need to install the IE Tab add-on to see them in Firefox.
To enlarge please click on one of the images
The images are from cameras placed inside a Barn Owl nestbox on the island of Islay, Inner Hebrides, Scotland.
Please leave a comment (see foot of page) telling us what you've seen, giving the date and time. Between us, we are spending quite a lot time watching what's happening, but will inevitably miss things.
If you've enjoyed watching the owls, you might like to make a donation to the Islay Natural History Trust (Port Charlotte, Isle of Islay, PA48 7TX) to help us defray the costs of the equipment which, although 50% grant-aided, still cost the Trust nearly £1500.
The owl laid a clutch of six eggs in early April. Hatching began at the very end of April.
UPDATE 8th August:
The young fledged sometime in early July, that is they all left the nestbox
for the first time, but they continued to return to it over the next few days.
Subsequently, a single owl has been using the box on and off, roosting there
during the daytime. We are not sure which bird it is is, but the most likely
is the adult female.
We will be turning the cameras off sometime in the next couple of months. There are various improvements we want to implement before next season, including repositioning the cameras inside the nestbox in an attempt to get rid of the annoying "blind spot" where the female carried out much of the incubation in such a position that we could only see part of her back. We also want to make the electrics a little more robust to reduce (and preferably eliminate) the loss of pictures that occurred a few times this summer.
The Islay Natural History Trust is grateful to Scottish Natural Heritage for grant aid towards the costs of this project, and to Michael Thomson of Gribloch Design Ltd., Bowmore, for so willingly providing his technical skills. Bruichladdich Distillery were also very helpful in allowing Michael time off from his work for them to install and test the equipment. We also thank James Brown for a generous donation.