28:26
You can see how badly his claws hooked over there. This male barn owl called Tappy, named after the way he moves his feet around the nest. He's new to Ashwood and has taken a liking to one of my nests I've built there. He's attracted a new female, Sparkle. Easily recognized because of her beautiful speckled chest. But their courtship has been far from gentle. At times it's been intense, volatile, and even marked by scuffles and confrontations. But there's definite signs they're bonding. The feet are locked and the female twists.
She manages to break free. But Tappy's rear toe has been bent forwards and his talents caught round the front of his leg. It looked so painful and his toe is essential to help him capture prey. Moments like this present a difficult dilemma. Whether to assist or allow nature to take its course. It's unlikely he'll be able to release it without intervention. But watching him struggle, it became clear that action was needed and I stepped in.
Right, can't believe it. It actually worked. And I've got him here, look. You can see how badly his claws hooked over there. But I've not seen anything like this before. But let's see if we can unpick this claw. So his claw is going to be quite sore for a little bit, but I'm going to put some extra mice in there for him and get him back into that box. But that's a successful mission. I put my jacket over the hole while he calms down. He seemed so much better after my intervention. Oh, look at that. He's supporting his full weight on his injured foot. And later that evening, I was so delighted to see Sparkle and him
courting on the branch outside the nest. With a little luck, it won't be long before Ash trees filled with life once again.
