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| {{Template:Protecting the Owl Box from Predators}} | | {{Template:Protecting the Owl Box from Predators}} |
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| ===Watching the Barn Owls===
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| =====Not a portable wildlife camera=====
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| I've not had great deal of success with the portable wildlife cameras currently available, they need to be really close to the owl box to record reasonable pictures especially at night, on most of the portable wildlife cameras that I'm aware of the batteries need to be changed regularly and to replay recordings, the memory card needs to be taken out of the camera. This means getting really close to the owl box and the owls, which I am very reluctant to do. Another problem is that the recordings are triggered by motion detection, in a tree lined copse, especially when in leaf, the camera is likely to be triggered constantly.
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| I don't wish to put you off trying, but I would recommend you borrow one first to see if it's going to give you the results you expect.
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| =====A hard-wired video camera=====
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| We have an IP security camera system which uses cheap CAT5 network cable to connect the cameras. This powers the camera and carries the video and sound back to the recorder. It should easily be able to run at distances of 100 metres (300 feet). The security camera system records constantly and recordings can be accessed by a networked PC or even a mobile phone.
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| It's not a trivial system to setup but it does give fabulous results - we can even sit indoors of an evening and watch the owls on TV. Much better than watching TV.
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| You could also use a hard-wired security system like this to record owls actually in the box with the young. Just make sure you install it before you mount the box in the tree and it becomes occupied!
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| =====Why ''Wise Old Owl''?=====
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| This is only me personal view but apart from actually looking intelligent, when watching the owls behaviour on camera we've often seen them sitting on a branch for more than a hour or two before moving back to the box or off out hunting. This puts you in mind of them sitting and thinking! Where we see behaviour it's probably not hunting as they are over a massive bramble patch which would prevent them landing on the ground.
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| =====Barn Owl Synchronised Pair Video=====
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| <YouTube>https://youtu.be/gIiATdETEbI</YouTube>
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| Our nesting pair doing a bit of synchronised flying - unfortunately there's no sound on this vidoe as exprecince has shown they probably screech during this flying encounter.
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| =====Barn Owl on our washing line!=====
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| <YouTube>https://youtu.be/ox9VN6CE2F0</YouTube>
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| 'Noddy', landing on our washing line! recorded from another camera.
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| =====Evidence that you have Barn Owls=====
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| When we did our [https://www.churchfarmstowbardolph.co.uk/activity/nature-walks/ evening nature walk with Nigel, a local gamekeeper from Church Farms, Stow Bardolph], he showed us underneath where barn owls had been perching.
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| Their scat or faeces is very white, almost chalky due to the high protean carnivorous diet. There's very little evidence of solid matter though, almost all from liquid it seems. Different owls seem to use different perches, but very often the same perches, which increases the chance of seeing their scat. Look around the ground under trees near you owl box for evidence of this - it's pretty obvious once you spot it. It was even seen under where the owl [[#Barn Owl on our washing line!|sat on our washing line]].
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| <gallery widths=300px heights=300px perrow=5>
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| Image:White scat from barn owls.jpg|A barn owl has been sitting above here!
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| Image:Barn Owl Box68.jpg| The two fledglings a few months after hatching
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| </gallery>
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| ===Progress of the Young Owl Fledglings=== | | ===Progress of the Young Owl Fledglings=== |