01550 760400Millie, Zac, Ethan, and James, had fun in their science session last week dissecting barn owl pellets. First they watched some short videos about barn owls to learn about them and what they eat.
They then each opened their envelope from 'The Barn Owl Trust' which held some barn owl pellets along with some tweezers, a magnifying glass and a toothpick to help them dissect the pellets.
They were amazed to find lots of tiny bones including skulls, lower jaw bones, ribs, pelvic bones, forelimbs, hindlimbs, and scapulas. Most of these were from small rodents like field mice and voles. They found out that each owl can eat up to 4 small rodents per night and that about 6 hours after feeding, the owl regurgitates the pellet with all the bits it can't digest.
Next they are planning to visit a local falconry centre to see a real barn owl...How exciting!