David Cowcill reports on owl action on one of Langdyke’s Etton sites
After several years with only fleeting visits, we have had a barn owl daytime roosting at the Etton High Meadow site in the sheep shelter and barn.
This is a photo from August 14. If you look carefully at the opening on the right hand side you can see two grey reasons why the owl was awake in daylight! We then set up the Langdyke trail camera for several days between August 24 and September 2.
The owl was captured 32 times until August 31 , with a maximum of 10 images on the 27th, then not on September 1 or 2.
It is very difficult due to the camera position to work out the “ins” from the “outs”. However more exciting is that two birds (or one bird and some other claws or an eye!) are in shot on 24th and 27th August. Since then one bird has also been roosting in the main barn, being disturbed on opening up for the work-party on two Mondays in September. It is a beautiful bird and quite an experience to have it fly around in such a way until it exits through a broken panel.
The barn owl breeding season usually starts with pairing in late winter – so we hope that our pair can stay together until then. Although 2025 was a mast year and therefore good for the owl’s small mammals prey, 2026 has been difficult with the long heatwave. Two sets of pellets are being analysed to see what they are successfully hunting.
Other sightings:
Incidentally Langdyke commissioned John Parsonage to build and instal the owl box.