Since 2018, a pair of tawny owls, called Strix and Aluco (Strix aluco is the Latin name of the tawny owl) has nested in a purpose built nest box in the garden at Yew View. I have installed a series of cameras, that have improved over the years, to document their story. I currently have three Hikvision cameras at this nest box; 2 inside and one outside.

 

Every year, apart from last year, they have raised a family here. In 2020, she laid, but abandoned the eggs. We had a lot of flooding at the time and we think this may have affected her ability to hunt.

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2021 has been first year we have been able to live stream, thanks to a high speed broadband installation on site. It has been a great season with our tawny owlet, Nyx, fledging successfully

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 On Jan 23rd 2022, Aluco spent her 1st day inside the nest box. This is what she tends to do, leading up to breeding. 

She hatched 4 owlets  around the 24-26th March 2022. Three of these survived  and fledged successfully into the garden. 

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In our 2023 breeding season, Aluco occupied the box during the day from November and laid her first egg on Jan 29th, the earliest time we have recorded on site. Sadly, the eggs broke and we thought he had not bred. Later in the year, she appeared at the box with two younsters so had bred elsewhere.

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Aluco returned to the box in January 2024 and laid her first egg on February 23rd. She laid 5 eggs, but sadly oe was damaged, the shell cracked and was eaten. We had 4 eggs incubated. Three eggs hatched and the pair successfully raised these owlets until they branched.

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UPDATE: May 7th - All three owlets successfully branched into the trees and are being fed by the Strix and Aluco. Keep watching out on the external platform as they may well return there some evenings, to be fed. 

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