大象传媒

Barn owls are breeding in a church tower, keeping a low profile as they have young in the nest. The male is kept busy bringing in a regular supply of food, and field voles figure high on the menu but they still need to feed on several each day. A second chick emerges 48 hours after the first, as that was the gap between the eggs being laid. Barn owls can only hunt efficiently in fine weather so they will often stockpile enough food to last a day or two. For the first few weeks their mother feeds the chicks the smallest bits of food, day and night. As they are still vulnerable to cold, it will be a few weeks before they develop a sufficient layer of downy feathers for their parents to leave them alone.