Wirral Barn owl highlights
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This video clip shows one of four chicks raised by barn owls at Wirral Country Park this spring. The chick is approximately 5 weeks old.
You can also see the male and female parents sitting on a perch below the nest box.
At the end of the sequence the female enters the nest box with the chicks.
Video Clip 1
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Video Clip 2
Chicks out of the box
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Did you know?
- Barn owls do not hoot, they emit a long, eerie screech.
- Because of the noise they make, their other name is screech owl.
- Barn owls also emit wheezes, snores and gurgles.
- The best time to see a barn owl is at dusk, but you will also see them in the day when they are hunting to feed their young.
- Barn owls live alone or in pairs and tend to mate for life.
- They like to nest in farm buildings, churches, sheds and holes in trees.
- Owl broth was once given as a cure for whooping cough as the coughs and wheezes from the bird were thought to be like the coughs and wheezes of the illness.
- Barn owls can live for up to 21 years.
- Barn owls are protected by law. The adults, their eggs, nests and young are fully protected at all times throughout the UK.
- It is an offence to disturb barn owls while they are nest building or with eggs and young.
- Fines of up to £5000 or a custodial sentence apply to offences against barn owls.