Following discussion about Barn Owls on farm visits to members and a request for more promotion of this species at our Cluster Christmas party, 5 Barn Owl boxes were order for the cluster. These were order from the Barn Owl Trust and arrived with us mid-March.
As we are already getting into the season where barn owls are looking to nest, I was keen to get them on to farms as quickly as possible! However, it turns out they are pretty big, and one box alone filled up my little Fiesta as you can see below! Luckily, I was able to get the remaining 4 on to farms with the help of a Kent Wildlife Trust truck and a very kind colleague.
Once on farm, each farmer and I went round looking for a suitable site and good tree to put the box up in. Ideally, you want a tree that you can put the box in at least 3 metres high, avoiding prevailing wind, with no branches or canopy that will obstruct the entrance. Full guidance can be found on the Barn Owl Trust website along with guidance of how to put up a box in a barn as well (Where’s the best place for your Barn Owl nestbox? (barnowltrust.org.uk)).
As you can see from the photos below, 3 of the 5 are already up with the last two going up shortly. We have a variety of sites included a tree in a hedge line, a dead tree in a more open setting and a tree on a woodland edge. We will be monitoring these and if there are any signs of nesting Barn Owls, our ecologist Chas Holt is licensed to do the ringing so we can monitor how the birds get on.
This will be a great opportunity to make a case study for the cluster so I will keep you posted on whether we get any residents move in this year!
