Gylfie the barn owl couldn't have had a more attentive partner in Finn. Watch this male barn owl attend to her needs as she broods their clutch of four precious eggs. To support my channel and my wildlife rehabilitation and conservation work, please donate here: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted;_button_id=A52ZHAMJZC3J4 or join one of my supporter communities in exchange for behind the scenes content here: https://www.robertefuller.com/support_and_donate/ OWL EGG INCUBATION Gylfie needs all her energy to keep her eggs warm as the chicks inside develop. She sits on them 24 hours a day for nearly a month, using her body heat to keep the eggs at a medium 34C. MALE BARN OWL HUNTS And as she does so , Finn keeps her sustained with a steady supply of food. He spends his days catching small rodents, like shrews, and delivers three or four meals a day, OWL TEAMWORK Both owls are working hard in their respective roles, but there's always time for affection - and Finn continues to mate with Gylfie often, even though he’s not fertilising more eggs. FINN FUSSES WITH EGGS But this male barn owl is also utterly besotted by the prospect of chicks on the way and when Gylfie leaves the nest briefly, he hears a chick cheep from inside its shell. He responds by moving the egg away from the others and when Gylfie returns she seems displeased with the arrangement - she needs to keep all four eggs warm at once! FIRST HATCH The first chick takes over an hour to fully emerge and when it does it is bald and blind… it’s incredible to think in two months this chick will be ready to fly. FIRST FEED Already it knows how to swallow food and Gylfie tears up a meal into bite sized morsels and then tucks it under her feathers for warmth. DAD MEETS OWLET A few hours later, Finn sees the chick for the first time and is instantly attentive. Later, once the clutch has hatched, this male owl can't contain his curiousity and the cameras capture him gazing intently at his owlets as they lie, snugly underneath Gylfie. SECOND EGG FAILS Barn owls lay every two/three days and when a second chick does not appear for another six days, taking almost all day to emerge from its shell, it is clear one egg has failed. Gylfie soon removes the egg from underneath her. FINAL CHICK HATCHES Three days later, Gylfie stands to reveal a pip in the last egg. And soon, the third and final chick has hatched. Now these owl parents must work even harder to keep these tiny owlets warm and fed.. NEXT TIME… In the next film, when disaster strikes, how will Gylfie get on as a single parent? #barnowl #owls #robertefuller I am a British wildlife artist based in Thixendale, North Yorkshire, UK. I build ideal habitats to encourage wildlife into my garden and use nest cams to study their behaviour. These studies inform my paintings. I share the best of my video research on this channel for free. If you would like to support my work please consider a small donation here: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted;_button_id=A52ZHAMJZC3J4 Or of course you may like to purchase my artwork which you will find on my website: https://www.robertefuller.com. Many of the paintings are portraits of the creatures you watch here! © Robert E Fuller Copyright Disclaimer: Please feel free to share my videos but do not download any content without permission with the intent to re-upload. If you would like to license any content, please get in touch with me at: mail@robertefuller.com Stay Connected! You can also follow me on these platforms: Visit my website: https://www.robertefuller.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RobertEFullerArt/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobertEFuller Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/RobertEFuller/ 00:00 Barn Owls Gylfie & Finn 00:19 Gylfie Broods 00:44 Finn Hunts 01:58 Teamwork 02:40 Gylfie Restless 03:25 Finn Rearranges Eggs 04:23 First Owl Chick Hatches 05:22 Chick's First Feed 06:19 Finn Sees Chick 06:54 Second Egg Fails 07:20 Third Egg Hatches 08:59 One Failed Egg 09:37 Family Growing Fast 10:31 Final Chick Hatches 11:14 Next Time…

• published: 04 May 2023
• views: 29411