Nigel Pye Bird Photography
I hope this bird can recover from the losses it has sacrificed in the last thirty years, its future isn’t really clear, if the weathermen are right then our winters could get warmer but wetter, this would be harsh for Barn Owls as they cannot hunt in wet weather as their feathers are not waterproof.
Climate change is definitely going to be a deciding factor in the life of the Barn Owl in this country. Lets hope that many generations after us can enjoy watching this unforgettable bird hunting in its natural habitat across the British countryside.
Norfolk Barn Owls
If you have seen an elegant white bird over a open grassy field in winter, hovering, dropping down and disappear in the grass you are probably watching a Barn Owl hunting it’s local patch.
There is nothing quite like watching Barn Owls hunt, if you have seen it you won’t forget it. In the winter it is quite possible to see this sight during daylight hours, especially during very cold days when more time is required to feed on enough rodents, to get them through the night.
Most winter I know of several locations where I can almost guarantee sightings at various times of the day. North Norfolk is excellent for Barn Owls and on one day I have seen as many as seven birds. On one occasion there was a pair working a field and a third Owl appeared and hunted over the same ground. The paired couple didn’t seem to mind. Maybe the third Owl was their offspring from last year?
Although the Barn Owl doesn’t have many natural enemies (other than man), they do seem to be victims of other birds of prey stealing their prey. I have once witnessed a Marsh Harrier pounce on a unsuspecting Barn Owl, it was flying back over the marsh at Cley, after successfully catching a Vole, the Harrier could see this and decided to relieve the Owl of it’s catch. The Harrier attacked the Owl and managed to steal its prey, both birds then stumbled to the ground, the Harrier then took flight, I remember feeling slightly worried about the Barn Owl, maybe the Harrier had injured it or even killed it, but the Owl managed to take flight none the worse for wear after about ten minutes.
On another occasion a Kestrel watched a Barn Owl closely from a high perch, the Owl managed to catch a Vole, the Kestrel choose the best time to surprise the Owl, it flew
silently over to the Owl and pounced, grabbed the prey,
the Owl screeched out and the Kestrel left with the Owls
prey in it’s talons.
