Barn Owl

Chris Sperring visits the Somerset Levels to observe barn owl chicks on the nest.

Somerset Levels is a stronghold of British barn owls,. Chris investigates young owls begging for food and the parents feeding their young. He looks at their nests, the roosting habits of adult birds and the differences between the male and female plumage.

Chris also describes adults training the young to hunt and mortality rates for barn owls.

Producer: Julian Hector

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2007.