'Family life' of Somerset barn owls to be streamed live for six months

People all over the world are expected to tune in to watch two barn owls raise a family on the Blackdown Hills.

Somerset Wildlife Trust have set up their HD nestcam for Finn and Orla's home in the Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

This would be the second time the birds have mated and experts believe it won't be long before Orla will lay eggs.

In a post on Facebook the Trust said: "The barn owl couple successfully fledged three chicks last year, and we're keeping our fingers firmly crossed that the pair will be parents again this year."

They're expecting an international audience to watch the livestream after their last bird couple, Boris and Brenda, racked up a million and a half visits from people all over the world watching their seven eggs hatch in 2014.

The livestream runs 24 hours a day and will bring family life to people's homes for the next six months.

Kirby Everett at Somerset Wildlife Trust, says they're delighted to have a live camera back up and running while restrictions are still in place.

She said: "You can't get much closer than a live feed, so we hope people will really enjoy following the couple’s journey to parenthood and learning about the behaviour of these stunning birds. Sharing their world from within our homes will bring nature to many people who are still unable to get the outdoor nature experiences they previously so enjoyed."

“The prospect of future generations of Finn and Orla’s family not having safe homes is not one we want to entertain, and we hope the live feed will inspire everyone to find ways to help nature where they live. We will be providing lots of ideas on the live-feed’s web page, so tune in!”


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