Looduskalender

This nest on the Beleef de Lente website was very popular so it deserves a place here, where we can discuss it. Many thanks to Fleur.

Link to camera: http://www.beleefdelente.nl/steenuil
Bosuil's Link to English translations of Dutch updates: http://genietvandelente.nl/viewtopic.php?f=130&t=1169

Link to more information about this species: http://www.owlpages.com/owls.php?genus= ... ies=noctua

Background Information (from English translation of Dutch webpage)

Scientific name: Athene noctua

The female will lay 2-7 eggs (on average there will be 4) in April. Incubation time is about 26 days. Young fledge after 30-35 days.

In 2007, the first egg was laid on April 9 and 3 more eggs followed. Three eggs hatched on May 10 and 11, and the young fledged in the middle of June.

In 2008, the first of 4 eggs was laid on April 13. All eggs hatched, the first three on May 14 and # 4 on May 15. Not enough food was available, and only one owlet survived. That one fledged on June 20, at 36 days old.

In 2009, the first of 4 eggs was laid on April 12 and on June 20, the last of the 4 owlets fledged.

A pigeon is in the way of the little owl.



(I guess it could be a dove) Its head barely will go through the little flap into the real nest -- this big trouble maker is in the "hallway."

FYI:
For all the webcamviewers who donot read Dutch,
but wish to follow the developments in the Dutch birdnests shown via the "Beleef de Lente"-webcams:

English translations of the BDL logbook posts can be found here.

(Geniet van de Lente is a site of young Dutch fans of the BDLwebcams and other bird webcams).

Translations of background info will follow -
it is interesting to read more about the location of the webcams and the history of the nests/nestboxes that are being shown.

Well,its a bit like "Desperate Housewives" over there for now everyone popping into someonelse's nestbox.. a real parade.!

No Little Owl is ever there when I look! Sometimes other species are visiting in the hallway

The log book says that in 2009, the first egg was laid on April 12, so I guess it is still a little early for them.

macdoum wrote:Well,its a bit like "Desperate Housewives" over there for now everyone popping into someonelse's nestbox.. a real parade.!

Things are getting worse, see the latest clip "11-04: Spannende avond" ( = "Exciting evening") - last night the Stock Dove prevented the Little Owl from leaving the inner breeding place - the Dove just hit the Owl every time she put her head through the entrance hole. Finally she managed.
But this morning we're back to square one: the Owl is inside, the Dove in the hallway (under the webcam, sometimes not visible), possibly incubating eggs on her nest under the webcam, which would explain the behaviour. Already earlier, an egg rolled all the way to the porch.

For the record:
nobody will intervene, that is the Bird Protection Organisation's point of view. So in this barn, we may well end up with 2 webcams in nestboxes installed to help 2 protected species (Little Owl and Common Kestrel) with none of them breeding - instead, Jack Daws and Stock Doves. But nothing is sure - things can change real fast, as we saw last year.

( Translations of the Dutch logbook over at http://genietvandelente.nl/viewforum.ph ... 0c52c25ff8 )

Oh dear, I could not even watch that whole video.

Now, things have picked up over there.
The Little Owl appears to have one egg. When I looked just now she was absent.
All the other nests are doing very well,with the birds sitting on the eggs.
The Kestrel,I don't know there was a jackdaw hauling timber into that nest last time I looked.
The translations have slowed now since a a few days ago. I don't know why.
(maybe not enough interest ? )

Today the Little Owl has two eggs.
The barnowl has five eggs.
Things are going very well.
Do look at the video for the 17 April Little Owl, PLEASE.
(if that ain't love I'm a dutch.....)

The Little Owl has three eggs.
The Barnowl has six eggs. The little birds have countless eggs.
The Barnowlets are HUGE especially the oldest.

but poor little owl has problems with the dove... she is calling since 2 hours minimum and tried several times to leave the nest but the dove is penetrating her allways with the beak while she stuck to the hole, so she has to give up each try. She is a little bit too big to pass the hole fast enough to defend the attacks . And Mr. owl is not coming to help. I hope she will manage, I have to go to bed

edit: four eggs now by the way

That dove is just too much for me to bear.

Today the following mail of the forum of Beleef de Lente, which is called Geniet de Lente, was sent out to all its members:

Dear foreign forum-members,

Several of you follow the Little Owl in its predicament with the Stock Doves. I have tried to keep up to date with the translations, please also read the new topic Background information viewtopic.php?f=130&t=1382 .

A big debate is unfolding today in the Q&A-forum, and might not be a bad idea if you - as foreign members - weigh in as well, be a\it for or against intervention.

Beleef de Lente might also show posts about what has been done in other countries, esp. since they boast a large international group of webcam watchers.

Regards,
Ellen
PS - and yes, still need to work up the backlog of the other webcambirds.

I have posted there with the suggestion the Doves nest be moved elsewhere.
It seem a ridiculous decision NOT TO INTERFERE
Doves are thriving all over this part of Europe and I am sure The Little Owl is scarce/very scarce.!!
Will the Beleef people let the Little Owl die of hunger I cannot believe my ears/eyes. ?:
Please, Loodusklanders do post your ideas or comments there.
Do I remember ? Leonia or Asteria telling us how they saved eggs from some nest (LSE ?) to preserve the species by incubating them. ?

I tried to back you up.

alice44 wrote:I tried to back you up.

Thank you Alice. Its a no go situation for now. Its hard to comprehend that they
would even contemplate leaving that dove there.
If enough people post,maybe the situation might change. I have posted in Hancock WF too.
I think that was the idea of the letter from Beleef member Ellen.

Given that the whole nest box is a human intervention ...

macdoum wrote: Do I remember ? Leonia or Asteria telling us how they saved eggs from some nest (LSE ?) to preserve the species by incubating them. ?

Hello and good morning. It must have been Asteria, but I know what you mean: In northeast Germany they try to regain the very small population of LSE by taking the second chick out of the nest and incubating it. They put it back into the nest after the time when kainism is relevant.

Little owl of NL went out sometimes after 10 pm and returned just before 11 pm. She got some hits from the stock dove both when leaving and reentering. Not easy to look at

Here: http://genietvandelente.nl/viewtopic.ph ... 214#p10214
Donna c gets exactly to the point by saying:

If the owls were left to their own resources to build a nest, I'm sure they would not have built it so they can be a victim of their own construction.

Sayings like "that's nature" or "don't touch nature"... sentences which made me during the years of watching slowly but surely sick to hear and read! If people would not have touched the nature too much the world would look different! And today we are at the point that whereever help is necesarry it should be given! My opinion.

What happened?
Where are dove. The owl is doing something in their nest: