BARN OWL

BARN OWL (TYTO ALBA)

LOCAL BIODIVERSITY ACTION PLAN

Links to associated HAP's

Cereal Field Margins, Roadside Verges, Unimproved Grassland

Ecology

Appearance

Barn owls have pure white underparts with buff coloured back and wings and a heart shaped face. Adult barn owls are around 34cm long with a wingspan of 90cm. The female barn owls weigh an average of 362g, which is 62g more than the males that usually weigh in at about 300g.

Habitat

Barn owls nest in quiet barns, outbuildings and hollows in trees. Their preferred habitat is farmland and other open areas with scattered trees, such as Cereal field margins and Unimproved grassland.

Food

Barn owls mainly feed on small mammals such as mice, voles and shrews, however they have been known to take other birds.

Predators

Barn owls are known to have cannibalistic tendencies. Food shortages can cause large healthy chicks to kill and eat weaker siblings. Chicks can also be vulnerable to predation from cats and foxes.

Life Style

* Barn owls are nocturnal and are most easily seen at dusk and dawn. However occasionally barn owl scan be seen hunting during the day.
* They make a variety of shrieks, hisses and snores they do not hoot like the Tawny owl.
* Barn owls usually live alone or in pairs and they tend to mate for life.
* Females lay clutches of up to 7 eggs from April to early May. The males help to feed the young and the chicks fly after 9 or 12 weeks.
* They have been known to breed twice a year.

Current Status
In the early part of this century (1910) Coward & Oldham described the barn owl as being a common but 'curiously local' resident (Guest et al 1992). In 1932 Blaker conducted the first national barn owl survey, which revealed a population of 239 pairs in Cheshire. Over the next 50 years the barn owl declined all over Britain, primarily due to agricultural intensification. By the time the next national survey was conducted by the Hawk and Owl Trust in 1982-5 the population in England and Wales had crashed by 69%. In Cheshire the decline was even more severe, down 85% and leaving just 35 pairs (Shawyer 1998). The results of Project Barn Owl, a joint Hawk & Owl/BTO survey conducted between 1996-1998 are due to be published shortly.

During 1998 only 7 pairs were confirmed as breeding by the Cheshire Barn Owl Project for the whole of the Cheshire region, by 1999 this figure rose to 10. There were 19 breeding pairs of barn owls confirmed for the Cheshire region during 2000. There were a total of 46 confirmed young, of which 44 fledged. This was very good news for the project as the number of confirmed breeding pairs almost doubled since the previous year. The breeding results for 2001 have shown an increase in the number of confirmed breeding pairs in the county for the fourth successive year. A total of 29 breeding pairs were monitored during 2001 with a total of 53 young being confirmed at those nest sites that were accessible. Unfortunately, at eight of the total breeding sites the number of young could not be confirmed, due to this the total number of young is expected to have been a higher figure.

The barn owl is protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981), which makes it illegal to disturb a barn owl at the nest. It is also listed under Schedule 9 of the Act, which means that a licence is required to release captive-bred birds into the wild. It is also listed in the EC Birds Directive, Appendix ii of the Bern Convention, which requires member states to take special measures to conserve listed species.

Threats
* Loss of rough grassland hunting habitat as a result of agricultural intensification and urbanisation
* Loss of suitable nest and roost sites, through felling of mature trees and conversion of farm buildings
* Declining small mammal populations (a nationwide problem)
* Increased volume of speed of road traffic, which accounts for the majority of deaths

How are we helping to conserve the Barn Owl in the Cheshire region?
* Local Barn Owl Group members collect sightings, monitor nest sites, conduct surveys, erect nest boxes and visit farmers
* The barn owl is included in the wildlife road casualty database compiled by Life ECOnet Project.

Objectives, Targets and Actions

The objectives, targets and actions to help conserve the Barn Owl in the Cheshire region can be found on the Biodiversity Action reporting System (BARS) along with full details of our progress so far.

How to find out more about Barn Owls

The Local Barn Owl Action Groups websites can be seen at www.cheshirebarnowls.co.uk and www.wirralbarnowltrust.org/
The Wirral barn owl webcam site, live from Wirral Country Park can be seen at www.wirral-mbc.gov.uk/barnowls/


How can you get involved?

Join your local Barn Owl Group (contact details above).

You could sponsor a nestbox. Wirral Barn Owl Trust scheme is aimed at everyone, from the individual or small group to the corporate sponsor, who wants to help us re-establish the Barn Owl on the Wirral peninsula. Your donation of £50.00 secures entry to a three-year scheme, ensuring monitoring and maintenance of your adopted box for that period. More than one nest box can be adopted. For more infomration visit their website (see above).

Wirral Barn Owl group also have a 'wishlist' of equipment they would like so they can better their cause. If you can help them to obtain any of the following either cheaply or even for free, please get in touch either by email (info@wirralbarnowltrust.org) or by telephone (0151 625 3969).

* 8' x 4' sheets of exterior plywood (for nest boxes)
* Telegraph poles
* A scaffolding tower
* Extending laddersHard hats
* Safety harnessesHeavy duty work gloves
* Waterproof clothing
* Printing
* 90 gms paper
* Photographic gloss paper (A4)Barn Owl Taxidermy specimens (with Article 10 certificate)
* Barn Owl photos/slides
* Data projector (for PowerPoint presentations)
* Laptop computer (for PowerPoint presentations)

References & Glossary
HMSO (1995): Biodiversity: The UK Steering Group Report, Volume 1: Meeting the Rio Challenge, London.
Shawyer, C. R. (1987): The Barn Owl in the British Isles: Its Past, Present & Future, The Hawk Trust.
Shawyer, C. R. (1998): The Barn Owl, Arlequin Press.
Taylor, I. R. & Massheder, J. (1992): The dynamics of depleted and introduced farmland barn owls, Tyto alba populations: a modelling approach. The ecology and conservation of European owls. JNCC 1992. UK Nature Conservation No. 5.

http://www.barnowltrust.org.uk/infopage.html?Id=1