Mesmerising Owl Moments | BBC Earth

Through the eyes of this special family, we're going to learn more about the owl's mysterious world. Lloyd and Rose are going to put their own birds to the test and this year they're expecting some new arrivals. Two barn owl chicks. The first of them is ready to hatch. One more big push and you're out. You've done well little one. That must have been a huge effort, wasn't it, to get out there. It's easy to take it for granted when you're here but actually it's a really wondrous thing to see new life to come into the world. There's something really special about that. Really special. Mind you saying that, they're not the prettiest of owlets, are they? This chick and her younger sibling have come from a pair of captive barn owls. As they grow, they'll give us a rare and incredible opportunity to learn more about these secretive birds. We've already thought of a name which is Luna. We always tend to give our birds names because they become part of the family. With Lloyd's love and care, Luna grows quickly and just six days later she meets her younger sister. Lloyd and Rose call her Lily. During these early days and weeks, Lloyd and Rose need to give Luna and Lily round-the-clock attention. When they hatch, they're blind, completely helpless, they can't even regulate their own body temperature and they need four feeds a day. It's just like babies really. But you've taken on the responsibility so you just have to get on with it. The owlets have a long way to go before they transform into magnificent super-powered owls. How shall we write down that you did today? Nature will play its part, but right now they're entirely dependent on Lloyd and Rose. We think of barn owls as birds of dusk and night, haunters of the dark, creatures of the moon. So to see them hunting by day out here along the Essex sea wall startles me. In daylight they resemble apparitions, the closest thing to ghosts in the bird world. Flying with a supernatural vigilance. To me they set the land over which they move alight with wildness. They pass through the air, these birds, with the silence of falling snow. Cold weather and a blanket of snow have left her short of food. So she's been forced to hunt in the day. And now she's got competition, a kestrel. It's one of the downsides of hunting during the daylight hours. And even worse, the snow means she can't see her prey. So how do you find your food when it's hiding out of sight? Hunger forces the kestrel to take a chance. But his razor-sharp eyesight isn't enough in these conditions. Luckily for the barn owl, she has another superpower in her armory. Flying blind won't stop her eating. Because although she can't see it, she can hear her prey. Even under the snow, the kestrel simply doesn't have what it takes. So how does an owl's extraordinary hearing work? Some owls have ear tufts. But these feathers aren't used for hearing. They're more about communicating mood. In fact, the owl's whole head is designed for listening. Its distinctive round face is shaped like a satellite dish, specifically to detect sound. A ring of stiff feathers channel the sound towards the true ears, which are hidden at the side of the face. Some species of owl have one ear opening higher than the other. This unique adaptation allows the owl to work out what height a sound is coming from, as well as the direction. Sound arriving at the left ear before it reaches the right tells the owl it's coming from below. At certain frequencies, an owl's hearing is 10 times more sensitive than ours. This extraordinary skill means this great grey owl can locate its prey, even when it's out of sight. And now it's Kensa's turn. Did you hear it? No, nothing at all. Absolutely quiet. It was amazing. But one of the microphones picked up. The decibel waveform showed the sound being generated by the birds in flight. Each spike is an individual wingbeat. But with the barn owl, there's almost nothing. Even our array of super sensitive microphones fail to pick up any sound of Kensa in flight. And here's the owl doing exactly the same. Nothing, nothing at all. I'll play it again. There's not a sound here. That is really impressive, isn't it? It shows that they really are silent flyers. So how does a barn owl fly so silently? When air moves, it generates sound. The more movement, the greater the sound. The pigeon's large body and small wings mean it can't stay airborne without a lot of fast flapping. This creates turbulence in the feathers below. The peregrine has much larger wings, which it uses to build up speed and chase down its prey. The barn owl is far more graceful. Kensa's large wings and small body make it easier for her to generate lift. So just one gentle wingbeat sees her gliding effortlessly through the air, creating little more than a whisper in the feathers below. Wherever they live, all owls have an amazing aerial agility. They're even able to take off vertically from standing. It's a great defensive move, especially when you've got young to protect. A dive-bombing Arctic skewer is no match for the snowy owl. Such mastery of the sky seems to make these owls fearless, even against one of the Arctic's largest predators. Her supreme flying skills drive the wolves away. And her family is safe.