Barn Owls at Lorton Meadows Nature Reserve © Paul Williams
Barn owl wildlife webcam
Welcome to the Dorset Wildlife Trust barn owl webcam
This is a live and unedited stream of a barn owl webcam located at the Lorton Meadows nature reserve. Occasionally you might see disturbing images of the natural world. Our policy is to allow nature to play out without disruption or interference. If you have a problem viewing the stream, please try refreshing your screen.
What can you see on the webcam?
Code of conduct: This feed is for members of Facebook to leave observations and have discussions about this webcam. Please do not use any bad language, fully capitalise posts, or share offensive or controversial materials. Please be polite and respectful of others and remember that children may view these comments. Unfortunately, we can't reply to every post.
To see the latest comments click on "sort by" below and choose "newest".
Latest updates on the barn owl nest box
01.04.24
The owl nesting season is off to a really early start this year. The first egg arrived around 25 March, potentially 18 days earlier than last year. This could be down to food availability or the mild, wet winter we had. At time of writing, the female is sat on four eggs and we may see more eggs laid (though average clutch size is usually four). Unlike many bird species, barn owl incubation starts when the first egg is laid. The young will then hatch at 2-to-3-day intervals which is why some chicks are bigger/more dominant than others. So we could feasibly see the first chick by the end of April. Mum will be doing little hunting now as the male should be bringing her food regularly.
In previous years there has been some concern about the male apparently going missing, so it's probably worth pointing out that he is known to spend time in the drainpipe that leads from the nest box to the outside world. He is also known to roost elsewhere once all of the eggs have hatched, and food drops can be over in a flash. He is an experienced parent so try not to fear the worst if you don't catch much sight of him this summer. Look out for another update when we get closer to hatching time.
Adopt a barn owl
If you've enjoyed watching this webcam and would like to help barn owls thrive, please adopt a barn owl for a year from just £15.
