Owl 2024 04 23 Part 1

The little owl (Athene noctua)
Owl Box in a walnut tree, 3 meters from the ground.

The Owl will not always be in, lately during day time it will rest inside.
At night it will hunt for rodens.
Stream will be on most of the time, also when the Owl is not inside.
Check the video's i upload if you wanne see the Owl the past few days.

The annual cycle of the little owl.
The behavior of the little owls is not the same all year round. They have a clearly observable annual cycle.
For adult Little Owls, this starts after the departure of the young in the autumn with the moulting of part of the plumage. During that period they are quite quiet. They recover from the efforts of the breeding season and prepare for the coming winter. The 'pair bond' then relaxes somewhat, but they remain in their territory.

In December, the couples pay more attention to each other again. From then on they clearly call more often, something that increases further in January, February and March. 'Sham matings' also take place during that period. Usually the eggs are laid in April, after real mating, and then midwifery begins. She (the female) incubates for about 26 days. During that time, both little owls become a bit quieter. Above all, you will hear fewer sounds from it. They are then more careful so that no enemies are aware of their presence. During breeding, the male regularly brings her something to eat. Sometimes she leaves the eggs for a short period of time to stretch her legs and get some food herself.

The chicks usually hatch from the second half of May. During June you can observe them outside the nest box. The young remain in their parents' territory all summer and slowly become independent during that period. in the autumn they have to leave that territory and find their own place. It is now the end of October. For the parents it is a period of moulting and strengthening for the coming winter. And so the year comes around.