Wildlife Weekly: Barn owl chick is lucky to be alive

Our first barn owl chick of the season will never know how lucky he is to be alive.

He’d spent a week in a nest in an old barn on land owned by Luss Estates near Loch Lomond. When men arrived at work one morning, they discovered that the roof of the building had collapsed.

The floor was covered in wood and roofing sheets, and somewhere, they knew, was the nest.

While they were wondering what to do one of the men spotted a movement. It was a barn owl chick, peeping from under the debris.

The men waited and listened, but there was no sound and nothing else moved. The chick was brought to Hessilhead straightaway.

When barn owls are less than three weeks old, they are cute, but not exactly pretty.

They have the heart-shaped face of adult birds, and the beak seems enormous. They have a huge tummy and big feet. These are the important bits for eating a lot and defending yourself.

The owlet soon learnt to take food that was offered, and indicated the end of mealtime by turning his back and facing the wall of the brooder. A few hours later he was hungry again.

As he grows, he becomes more attractive, and is learning to tear up food for himself.

We have another young barn owl now, a bit older, but soon the two of them will be introduced and can learn barn owl language and behaviour from each other.

We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.

Please report any comments that break our rules.