Film | Barn Owl Takes 1st Step of Journey Back to Wild | Rescued & Returned to the Wild

Watch this film to see a rescued barn owl take its first step in the journey to a new life in the wild.

Barn owl rescue

Roughly four months old, when this young barn owl was handed in she was actually starving to death. The result of a late brood, she hatched in autumn when there was little food around. But she's been well cared for by Jean Thorpe, of Ryedale Rehabilitation, and is now a healthy, beautiful owl.

With a feisty character

She's quite a character too and catching to place her in her new nest box ready for the next stage of her rehabilitation wasn't easy. This is always a good sign and means she stands a good chance when it comes to surviving in the wild.

New home

The first stage of release involves placing her into a nest box in my Barn Owl Tower where she has plenty of space to explore. She will be here for a few weeks during which time I'll be able to monitor her progress on camera. When she's ready for release, I'll continue to put food out on the feeding post and hopefully she will feed there with the other owls until she learns to hunt for herself.

In the meantime you can watch her on my live nestcam