Barn owls Willow & Ghost are surely the most indecisive couple ever. It took them almost 8 months to finally get down to the business of laying eggs and most of the dilly-dallying was down to Willow's wobble over her choice of nest box.
Barn owl love story
This barn owl pair first met in January and seemed tightly bonded. It was lovely watching them preen one another, which is what birds do when they are in love. The word for this mutual grooming is 'allo-preening'.
Awkward lovers
But these first time lovers were an awkward pair and as most other barn owls were busy laying, these two were still finding out the ropes. Their first attempts at love-making were hopelessly unsuccessful.
Indecisive nesters
But worst of all was their inability to choose a suitable nest site. Essentially the problem was that Willow, the female owl, had her heart set on Sycamore. But this nest box was already taken by a large family of kestrels. I made a film at the time about the barn owl pair's search for the perfect nest spot.
Right up to the last
Even when Sycamore finally became available and the barn owl pair are at the point of scraping out a nest, Willow is unsure and bolts it back to the Barn Owl Tower, where they had spent the summer waiting for Sycamore to be free of kestrels.
Finally there are barn owl eggs
It was nail-biting stuff when she then makes a last minute shift back to Sycamore and lays her very first egg later that very day.
But she forgot to tell Ghost
Meanwhile Ghost hasn't a clue that there has been a last minute change of venue and can be seen waiting for her in Barn Owl Tower.
Clueless barn owl
Even after finally finding her, Ghost remains clueless and it is another six hours before he finally notices they have their first barn owl egg to care for. He also doesn't seem to have cottoned on that he is now a father - he still seems to think his job is mating!
Willow's wrath
The female barn owl finally loses her patience and the mood gets tense as she goes for him.
Barn owl eggs
Normally barn owls lay every three days, but it is five days before we see the 2nd egg. The 3rd, however, is laid three days later and on August 7th, 2021, Willow lays her fourth and final egg.
