Summer is well on in Scotland with most birds feeding large young and many are fledged. One species which is often a little later to breed is the Barn Owl and today I went with my brother Rab to a barn owl friendly farmer, Chris's barn. The nest is is a box placed for the owls on top of a stack of round hay bales and there were three chicks and a dud egg in the box. The chicks were a perfect age for ringing.
Barn owls have long pointed faces, not round faces like other owls such as Tawny or Great Grey. The chicks are very docile, almost falling over in a sort of drowsiness trance while being handled. And they have black eyes, none of those piercing yellow or orange irises like Short-Eared or Long-Eared Owls.
