In June I ringed a brood of 4 Barn Owls at a farm in Woodborough. These farmers are extremely keen to support their wildlife, so much so, that I also ringed another brood of 5 Barn Owls and 4 Kestrels in two of their other nest boxes. They understand the perils young owls face when they fledge and learn how to survive, including the dangers posed by water troughs, which they protect with netting.
This nest box is close to their house and they were delighted to film the 4 chicks learning to fly around their garden. However, this soon turned to a horror show when they saw one young owl enter the water butt and realised that it wasn't protected with a lid or netting. Fortunately John reacted in time, rescuing the owl and emptying the water. After drying off, the young owl resumed its flying practice, perhaps wiser after its near miss!
Looking at the video, it makes you wonder what made the owl to fly into the water. Was it the water or its reflection? Whatever it was, it seemed very interested in what was in the water butt.
A very lucky escape for this young owl and hopefully a cautionary tale for others who have Barn Owls and water butts.Mick P
