Brynau barn owls: your questions answered

How many cameras are you running?

At the moment we just have one camera inside the main nest box in the barn at Brynau Farm.

However, in future we'd love to have a camera outside to watch all the comings and goings of the barn owls.

How does the camera work?

The camera operates day and night. It's reactive to light, meaning it streams in colour during the day but switches to black and white when it gets dark, reverting to colour again once there is enough light.

You can rewind the livestream to watch the last 12 hours of footage in real time. To leave a comment on the video, just head to our YouTube channel.

Why is there no sound on the barn owl cam?

At the moment, the barn is shared with more than just our owls, so we’ve had to keep the sound switched off. We’re hoping to soundproof the space in the future – then you’ll be able to enjoy hearing the owls as well as watching them.

How can I tell the adults apart?

• The female: Usually larger and has more dark 'pepper' spots on her chest and under her wings.

• The male: Typically smaller, sleeker and his chest is usually a much purer, brighter white.

Will I see the barn owls if I visit Brynau Farm?

Brynau Farm is open and we welcome visitors, but as far as the barn owls are concerned, the camera livestream is the best place to watch them.

How were names chosen for the barn owls?

We haven't yet named our resident adults but we'd love to with your help.

Keep an eye on our social media channels as we'll be running a poll soon where you can vote for your favourite name for our female and male resident barn owls.

How do barn owl parents divide up the work?

The male brings in most of the food during the nesting season. The female does most of the egg and chick sitting.

Barn owl parents have a very traditional and efficient division of labour to ensure the survival of their chicks. It changes as the chicks grow, but generally follows this pattern:

Early stages: specialist roles

For the first few weeks, the parents have distinct jobs:

• The male (the hunter): He is the sole provider. He spends nearly all his active hours hunting and bringing prey back to the nest. He often doesn't even stay in the box, he simply drops the food off at the entrance and heads back out to find more.
• The female (the brooder): She stays in the nest box almost 24/7. Her job is to keep the eggs (and the tiny, featherless chicks) warm. Because the chicks hatch at different times, she must stay to protect the smallest ones while feeding the older ones.
• The 'chef' role: Even though the male brings the food, the female is the one who tears it into small, manageable pieces for the young chicks to swallow.

The middle stage: the 'pantry' phase

As the chicks grow, you’ll notice the dead prey all over the nest

• The male continues to hunt aggressively. If he is a good hunter, he will bring back more than the chicks can eat in one go.
• The female organises this 'pantry' around the edge of the nest so she can feed the chicks during the day when the male is roosting elsewhere.

The late stage: both parents hunt

Once the chicks are about three weeks old, they can grow enough down (thick, white, fluffy feathers) to regulate their own body temperature.

• At this point, the female will leave the nest box to help the male hunt, as the growing chicks' appetites become too large for one owl to satisfy alone.
• By the time the chicks are nearly ready to fly, both parents are essentially delivery drivers, dropping off whole voles or mice and leaving immediately to find the next one.

Do barn owls only need to mate once before eggs arrive?

No. For barn owls mating isn't just about biology, it's about social bonding. In the weeks leading up to egg laying, the male and female mate frequently – sometimes up to ten times a night – to strengthen their pair bond. It's their way of ensuring that they are in sync before the work of raising a family begins. 

Do barn owls lay all their eggs at once?

No, barn owls won't lay their eggs all at once. They use a system called asynchronous laying, where they lay one egg every two to three days. An average clutch of eggs is usually between three and six eggs. This means it can take over two weeks to lay a full clutch. 

However, barns owls can have less or more eggs in a clutch depending on the availability of prey. The number of eggs laid is heavily tied to the population of small mammals like voles and mice. In 'boom' years for prey, owls will lay larger clutches.

Our resident female has laid a clutch of eight eggs!

Do barn owls eat anything besides mice?

Yes. Field voles are their favourite, making up 50-70% of their diet.

You might also see them bring back shrews, mice, small rats or even frogs.

Why are there so many dead rodents lying around?

It can be quite gruesome to see lots of dead rodents in the nest box. By human standards, it looks like a nightmare! But in the owl world, that mound of mice is actually a beautiful sight. It’s called a pantry or a cache. It proves that the male is an incredible hunter and that the local environment is thriving with life. Without that pile of food, the chicks might go hungry during a rainy night when hunting is impossible.

Why is the floor so messy? What are those black lumps?

Those lumps aren't just mess – they are pellets. Owls swallow their prey whole but they can't digest the fur and bones. They compress these remains into a pellet and cough it up.

What were the notable dates each season?

Is the female barn owl hurting the owlets by stepping on them?

It looks clumsy, but she's incredibly careful. Barn owls can be very skittish and often move suddenly if they hear a noise outside the nest box. But don't worry, the chicks are surprisingly resilient. They huddle together for warmth and being stepped on occasionally is just part of life in a crowded nest box.