Spring is turning to summer and the sun is finally starting to shine for 2024. This is good news for our Nest Box conservation programme, in particular this lovely family of Barn Owlets!
Did you know that 100% of the proceeds from your visit support our work in conservation? Our Nest Box and Land Manager programme operates in the South West, with our partner charity the Hawk and Owl Trust. This local nest box was installed for Barn Owls last year, a species dependent on declining rough grassland in the UK to survive. The land managers were thrilled with the idea of seeing Barn Owls on their farm again, after wondering for many years where they may have gone. We spent a long afternoon clambering up ladders and into the rafters of the old barn on the site to fit the perfect top class Barn Owl accomodation – a Barn Owl box. Once dependent on 400 year old hollow Oak trees, many of our native species now depend on artificially installed boxes to find safe cover to breed. Over 70% of barns in the UK would be suitable for a Barn Owl box installation, enabling the species to thrive alongside sustainable food production.
We also worked hard installing a second site for amber listed species, European Kestrels. Now 8 months on, in May and June, it is time to watch for results.
Hiding behind the farm machinery and peeking through binoculars, our conservation programme managers Naomi and Alice slowly waited and watched for movement. And at last! A male Kestrel flew into his nest box bearing the gift of a short tailed field for a hungry brood of chicks!
Barn Owlets have arrived!
We also worked hard installing a second site for amber listed species, European Kestrels. Now 8 months on, in May and June, it is time to watch for results.
Hiding behind the farm machinery and peeking through binoculars, our conservation programme managers Naomi and Alice slowly waited and watched for movement. And at last! A male Kestrel flew into his nest box bearing the gift of a short tailed field for a hungry brood of chicks!
More fantastic news came along when we visited the Barn Owl box with Hawk and Owl Trust conservation officer Chris Sperring, with whom we rung two healthy Barn Owl Chicks.
The measurements and data we collect from monitoring these chicks will help provide researchers with more information about what can be done to protect the species for years to come. And how fantastic to have two new breeding pairs at this wonderful local farming site!
By booking an Owl Encounter at The Bird of Prey Project, you can pay for the installation of a nest box, or a days monitoring for Barn Owls. And you get to meet one of our resident Barn Owls up close and personal!
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