Tawny Owl Courtship | Bomber & Luna's Love Story So Far

It is midwinter, there’s snow on the ground and Luna, our female tawny owl, is sitting on a clutch of eggs which she laid in late January. This is the earliest I’ve known tawny owls to lay here at Fotherdale Farm.

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TAWNY OWL COURTSHIP
The courtship between female tawny owl Luna and her mate Bomber began early and due to the surveillance cameras here at Fotherdale we have been able to watch their romance blossom.
AN OLD COUPLE
This owl pair have been together for a few breeding seasons and have raised several chicks here. They don't always chose to nest inside one of my bespoke nest boxes so I can follow the story on film. So this is very exciting!
IDENTIFYING THIS TAWNY OWL PAIR ON CAMERA
Similar in size, neither bird wears an identification tag so it can be hard to tell them apart. But there are subtle differences in colouring. Bomber's face has heavy features with ginger markings above and below his large eyes. Luna has a more grey coloured facial disc.
FIND LUNA’S SCAR
Luna also has a scar across her right foot, which is a handy identifier when watching the birds inside the nest box at night
EXPERIENCED PARENTS & EVEN FOSTER PARENTS
Last year this tawny owl pair raised six chicks here, two of them rescued chicks, named Eric and Ernie. You can watch their story here: https://youtu.be/sDIEdXnFbdI
COURTSHIP BEGINS WITH A SEARCH FOR NEW NEST SITES
As soon as these chicks fledged, the pair began to look forward to the next breeding season and by late October they were spotted in my Beech Stump nest box together - a sign they hoped to nest here.
FOLLOWED BY TERRITORIAL FIGHTS
To secure the site, they had to fight off a squirrel and a barn owl. Watch them work together to evict the barn owl.
PAIR BONDING
By the new year the tawny owl couple were spending more and more time in the nest together, reaffirming their long-established bond. Listen to the noises they make and watch as they lovingly preen one another. They also work together to keep house and you can see Bomber shoring up a hole in the box and Luna tidying up.
EGG LAYING
By January, we spotted Luna dig a shallow nest scrape. This sallow indent in the floor of the nest site is all that owls will do to prepare for their eggs. Watch how she settles down into a comfortable position and, after a few hours, she’s laid her first egg.
FIRST EGG LEFT ALONE
I was shocked when Luna abruptly left the nest. It was night and the temperature outside was freezing. Tawny owls are normally very protective over their eggs and this one was alone until Bomber arrived the following morning. It looks as if he goes off to find Luna, because she soon returns and settles down to incubate.
SECOND EGG LAID
This time Bomber stayed close, offering support as Luna laid. Just listen to those affectionate calls.
PROTECING THE EGGS
At two eggs, this tawny owl couple’s clutch is now complete. Now the pair must now protect these eggs against the winter weather and even against some unwanted visitors, including a wandering barn owl.
MORE ON TAWNY EGG INCUBATION
To learn more about how Luna keeps her eggs warm now watch my latest live broadcast here: https://youtu.be/v8nW_wtAhzc
EGGS DUE TO HATCH LATE FEBRUARY
Luna laid her first egg on January 25th and the chicks are expected to hatch at end of the month. I can’t wait to see them!
MORE ABOUT LUNA THE TAWNY OWL
Luna, and her mate Bomber, are resident here at Fotherdale Farm. Find out more about their story here: https://youtu.be/Fk6YZjk4jes
WATCH LUNA LIVE
You can also watch Luna as she sits inside her nest on my livestream here: https://youtu.be/N_DwST8vKdQ

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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

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Видео Tawny Owl Courtship | Bomber & Luna's Love Story So Far канала Robert E Fuller