[Bramblecot]

The barn owl seemed to roost in the same nest box over the winter but I thought it had perished in the prolonged rainy weather . 

OH has been cleaning and reproofing shed panels in the barn and yesterday they were covered in white owl poo .  So maybe he/she is still with us . 

The wildlife camera we bought has been moved to the field after my pet sheep were stolen.  Barn owl or thief photos ?  Heart or head?

[Bramblecot]

Well, we didn't catch the thieves so the camera is back in the barn. 
Video of owl 7 nights running - and one shot with 2 owls

[bloomer]

yay can you post the video?

[Bramblecot]

I tried to e-mail it but bounced back as too large  - 34MB?  I'm hopeless at this stuff .  There's another shot of it taking a mouse into the nest box so must be feeding something??
Oh dear, I can see I'm going to waste hours again this year

[Bramblecot]

Not sure if this will work .  The owl has a mouse/rat in it's beak and carried it into the nestbox

[mojocafa]

Wow, 

[Bionic]

Lucky you.
I bought OH a barn owl nesting box for christmas. Its been up for a while but seems there is no interest in it so far  .  Perhaps I need to put a 'to let' sign on it 

[Bramblecot]

The boxes (made from old tea chests, one at each end of the barn) were up for about 3 years before the owls took up residence last year.  They have evicted the pigeons

[Marches Farmer]

We have a scheme running in Herefordshire where you buy a barn owl, little owl or kestrel box (made in a prison workshop) and it's inspected twice a year - squirrels and jackdaws are evicted.  They're coming to inspect ours today.  Apprently it's often taken up by youngsters that use it for shelter over the Winter, so can take some time to be used.  Everything's early this year and they've already found one box newly occupied mid-County.

[NicandChic]

Spotted our first barn owl today, opened one of our barn doors around 5pm and it flew out  would it be worth putting a box up?

[Bramblecot]

Lovely .  It may have already found a place to roost/nest , and should not be disturbed. 
But a box would be a good idea in an area of the barn that is definitely clear (not near hidey-holes/stacks of hay etc).  It needs to be at least 3m above ground and have a landing platform beneath the hole - so the chicks don't fall to the ground when they potter about.  Designs for good boxes can be found on the 'net'.  Ours don't mind a old tea chest

[NicandChic]

Great thank you, our field at the front is full of wee mice & voles so lots to eat but we also have a number of buzzards who eat the pigeons 

Hope mr/mrs owl hang around 

[waterbuffalofarmer]

I walked into one of our buildings a month or two ago and a barn owl flew right over my head, its the closest I've ever been to a barn owl. They're so white almost like a silent ghost. 
Also last year after I had just fed the dogs I heard 2 barn owls cooing to each other.

[Bramblecot]

3 baby owlets hopping in and out of the box and practising wing-stretching and short hops .  One fell off the ledge and I saw it on the floor but left it alone.  Now seems to be back with the others .  The wildlife camera has been a real bonus .

[Somewhere_by_the_river]

Oh how wonderful! We have the barns (empty and definitely easy access), but no barn owls, which is a shame - not least as a few less voles and mice raiding my seedlings would be a grand thing!! The swallows, however, are loving the barns and outbuildings at the moment, we get dive-bombed by the clumsy youngsters as they earn their wings.

Waterbuffalofarmer - aren't they just! That's why I called my drawing of a barn owl in flight 'Ghost'