When Gylfie first met Dryer I was delighted because Dryer was a rescued owl rehabilitated here at Fotherdale, alongside Gyflie’s previous mate Finn.
But their early courtship was awkward. Dryer was the younger, more inexperienced owl and at times he seemed unsure of his role.
Wise owl
But Gylfie soon took him in hand, even one day mounting Dryer in a bizarre role reversal. Her instigations worked because by June of that year Gylfie was incubating four eggs.
Soon-to-be dad Dryer was intrigued, but Gylfie was very protective of her egg clutch. Unable to get close, he turned his attention to becoming an excellent provider – bringing in more than Gylfie could eat!
Chick hatch
By July the first chick hatched, followed two days later by two more. But it was five days before the fourth egg cracked and a tiny chick emerged, clearly weak. Unfortunately this last chick didn’t make it and then Gyflie did a shocking thing. She feds its corpse to the remaining three. Although upsetting to watch, this isn’t rare in birds of prey… they eat dead chicks before they start decomposing to avoid attracting scavengers to the nest.
Owl Dad Dryer
As the three remaining chicks grew, dad Dryer was clearly proud of his brood, but at times he expected too much of them. Watch him try to feed them prey whole, before they are able to tear it up.
Chicks grow
By four weeks, the chicks were regulating their own temperatures and Gylfie was able to leave them alone in the nest. Followers of this channel name them Thunder, Storm and Cloud and soon their characters developed. The eldest, Thunder had a caring nature and was spotted taking food to the youngest, Cloud.
First fledges
It was amazing to watch the chicks’ first moments out in the world and to see, first Thunder, then each sibling, take to the skies. But they didn’t venture far to begin with. For several weeks Dryer and Gylfie continued to protect and feed them close to the nest.
Developing independence:
And as they improved their flying and hunting abilities, we watched them explore further from the nest site. Interestingly Storm seemed unwilling to venture very far. And the youngest owlet, Cloud, was keen to stay close to big sister.
They took up residence in Beech stump, but this is tawny owl territory and they soon learned to keep out. Although it wasn’t until Gylfie paid the young owls a visit that they decided to move on. Gylfie knows better than to trust fledglings – she once lost a chick to a returning fledgling and she won’t risk that happening again.
Storm
Juvenile barn owls usually disperse at distances up to five miles. But Storm was spotted frequently on camera in Ash Wood. Perhaps we will get to continue to watch her story in years to come.
