In the winter, a second nest box was placed next to the first. It is not intended to accommodate a second family of owls, but to allow the couple to possibly start a second brood before the first flies off.
In fact, it happens that barn owls make 2 broods in a year, the male taking care of finishing the breeding of the first brood, while the female incubates the eggs of the second brood, nearby.
Last year, the owls were looking for a place for a second brood, and drove the young kestrels away to take the place. We hope to avoid a repeat of this conflict by providing two nest boxes suitable for owls.
The second nest box will only be opened after the first nest box has started to be used. It is also equipped with a camera.
We also replaced the outdoor perches with platforms to prevent the young from falling. Take a behind-the-scenes tour to learn more about the entire facility.

In fact, barn owl visits have hardly stopped this winter. Are they young people born here? New individuals wanting to nest in the spring? Impossible to say. (09/02)

Surprise ! Une chouette hulotte est venue à l'entrée du nichoir des effraies. Il serait bien qu'elle visite le nichoir justement placé cette année pour elle. (01/03)

A pair of pigeons has just moved in! As soon as the eggs are laid, the owls chase away Mrs. Pigeon in the middle of the night. (02/03)

What good news, Jeanne, the banded female born in Germany in 2020 and nesting here in 2021 has been back since March 2nd.
She was last seen on October 7, 2021 and appeared to have an eye injury.

Quickly Jeanne seems to accept the presence of a male. Is it last year's male (Charly), or a new one? When in doubt, it will be called Charly2. (02/03)

11 days of work to change the roof were carried out from 7 to 17 March. Very noisy, the owls left the nest box during the working days, but they came back every night. Besides, the scaffolding was handy for perching! (08/03)

There was a first mating observed at the nest box on March 3, then daily from March 12.
Moreover, Internet users have counted all matings until the appearance of the first egg: 280!

It's tempting to visit the neighbors. But Jeanne was accompanied home by the kestrels. (09/04)

The 1st egg arrived on April 25.

A short video of the laying of the 5th egg because we can clearly see the characteristic stages of laying. (04/05)

6 eggs were laid this year.
Here are the laying dates:
- 1st egg: April 25 (8:30 p.m.)
- 2nd egg: April 28 (4:30 a.m.)
- 3rd egg: April 30 (11:30 a.m.)
- 4th egg: May 2 (3:20 p.m.)
- 5th egg: May 4 (10 p.m.)
- 6th egg: May 7 (10:30 p.m.)

The first baby arrived on May 26, here is a short video of its first moments. (26/05)

The whole family has moved to a corner of the nest box. Fortunately, the camera is motorized and a second camera can film all angles of the nest. (11/06)

Here are the dates of birth:
- 1st baby: May 26 (10:30 p.m.)
- 2nd baby: May 29 (3 a.m.)
- 3rd baby: May 31 (5:50 a.m.)
- 4th baby: June 2 (5 a.m.)
- 5th baby: June 4 (6 p.m.)
- 6th child: June 7 (1 a.m.)

The female broods the younger ones, while the older ones no longer need her warmth. (13/06)

They are already moving towards the exit of the nest box, which makes it possible to capture color views. (18/06)

Unfortunately this night during a stampede, one of the little ones was trampled and died. It was number 5. In the morning the female ate it. (21/06)

Little n°6, that is to say the youngest, seems doomed. Indeed, the female has stopped shredding her food; therefore he cannot feed himself. We therefore decide to remove it from the nest box to bring it to a care center. We call this little owl: 'Framboise' (Raspberry). (27/06)

The female now uses the second nest box to spend her days alone. But sometimes she likes to go back to the nest box to find her babies. This video is funny because it seems that the babies do not recognize their mother when she returns to the nest. Is the mother preparing a second litter in the second nest box? At the moment there is no new mating of the couple, unless it happens off camera. (04/07)

On July 12th, 2 weeks after her rescue, we tried to reintegrate the young owl into her family. Unfortunately, she did not understand the need to quickly catch the food brought by her parents. So, 2 days later, on July 14, she was removed from the nest box to return to the care center.

It's hot though, but the 4 little owls like to huddle together to sleep. (07/14)

The 4 remaining babies in the nest box are progressing well, they are now waiting for the parents on the balcony. (08/07)

In the middle of the night, the little owls are always on the lookout to await the return of their parents. (17/07)

The little owls are in nest box #1 while the female occupies nest box #2 to rest. (19/07)

Everything is going well for Framboise, the little n°6 who evolves in a care center. (21/07)

They look ready for the first flight. (23/07)

The wings are muscular, it's time to go. (23/07)

They are small owls from the same brood: one little one is reddish (like the females) while the other is much paler (approaching the plumage of adult males). (25/07)

Video of the first flight. (23/07)

Video grouping together several funny sequences from the life of owls. (08/08)

'Framboise' (Raspberry), for her part, will soon be ready to regain her freedom. She is gradually getting used to taking care of herself by learning techniques used in care centers. (08/18)

On August 26th, when the other 4 little owls did not return to the nest box, Framboise was taken to Théding to regain her freedom. She was placed in the nest box in the evening. From her perch, she watched the view for a long time before moving to the perch opposite, then to the tree. She did not return to the nest box.

Adults and young no longer visit the nest box, but visits will probably take place in the fall! Jeanne, the ringed mother, was last seen in front of our cameras on August 13.