Barn owl help needed please.

fracster

fracster

I love BRASH and BRASH loves me
Suspended / Banned
Messages
16,666
Name
Ade
Edit My Images
Yes
Can the mods leave this in the bird section please, hopefully more owl experts will see it in here.............(y)

Righto, managed to get the use of this with the sole intent of attracting barn owls...........:naughty:


BO4.jpg


Now I know very little about barn owls and need some help please. Neil form stealth wildlife has given me a purpose built box, thanks, and the landowner has ok`ed it for the barn to be used. A lot of the ledges seen here are used by jackdaws to nest, should I block these off before they nest or will the jackdaws not bother the owls?


BO1.jpg



This is the front entrance to the barn.


BO3.jpg


Would the box be high enough up if I mounted it to the roof as shown here;


BO2.jpg


Or should I open the door showing in the first pic and mount it actually inside the barn itself, leaving the door fixed open for access?

The main door shown above cannot be opened.

Any help appreciated.
 
Our Barn Owls have nesting boxes high up in the inside of the barn as they did not like to be nesting outside, i.e in the porch, as they can be easily disturbed and seen. They do like to perch on the eaves before entering the box and are very often seen sitting on these (I have yet to capture one on camera, as they fly off as soon as you look at them)

The door in the first picture should be ideal if you can get a box in there as that is very similar to the one we use as they like to be secretive and can fly in and out with no problem.

Apparently jackdaws will not bother the Barn owls but that was not from an expert:shrug:
 
Thanks Nicki, I know next to zero about barn owls,so all help is good............:)
 
If you put one by the door that does not open, there is no where for them to fly on to, to perch before flying into the boxes and we have noticed that these boxes positioned like this were never used, so moved them.

We also ( If you notice barn owls about) feed dead day old chicks on the floor of the barn, that will then encourage them to nest and then we leave them to fend for themselves.

We have had a pair nesting on one of our barns for at least 5 years now but this is a very old delapidated barn with lots of nooks and crannies and plenty of ways in and out as they do like an escape route.
 
Very nice barn! surprised it's not been converted into a house by now!!! Barn Owl Boxes..where did you get it from and how much are they etc?

Cheers
 
The owner of the estate where the barn is made a lot of money converting old farms and buildings into business and office sites. This barn will never be converted and I managed to convince him to put something back. There is no shooting or hunting on any of his land, his two main estates are 3000 and 5000 acres respectively, one down here and one up in Scotland. He and his wife are both keen on wildlife and I think he will do something soon to attract more onto all his land.

Barn owl box came from a bloke I know, he donated it FOC.
 
fracster said:
The owner of the estate where the barn is made a lot of money converting old farms and buildings into business and office sites. This barn will never be converted and I managed to convince him to put something back. There is no shooting or hunting on any of his land, his two main estates are 3000 and 5000 acres respectively, one down here and one up in Scotland. He and his wife are both keen on wildlife and I think he will do something soon to attract more onto all his land.

Barn owl box came from a bloke I know, he donated it FOC.
Click to expand...

:D

awesome news, good to see your plans coming together.

Im sure you can be pretty persuasive when needed :naughty:
 
I believe the jackdaws would be a problem... I often see my barn owl being harassed by them, however the owl does come back every day. So whether its a huge issue is another matter.
 
Rovers_Andy said:
:D

awesome news, good to see your plans coming together.

Im sure you can be pretty persuasive when needed :naughty:
Click to expand...

I have been pestering this guy for two years now, it takes time, but there is a faint glow at the end of the tunnel..........:)

On Saturday we were talking and I mentioned that barn owls were losing their natural nesting places, he said "Why?".............."Because people are converting all the barns to offices." I replied looking him in the eye,left it at that. 10 minutes later, permission granted..........;)

He is a nice fella, very clever, very wealthy, but still a pleasant bloke.
 
norvic-boy said:
I believe the jackdaws would be a problem... I often see my barn owl being harassed by them, however the owl does come back every day. So whether its a huge issue is another matter.
Click to expand...

I think to attract the owls initially, I will block the ledges off, the jackdaws will have to nest elsewhere.

Thanks for the info......(y)
 
Our Barn owls will not fly when there are lots of kites around :shrug: but then they do only come out normally at night and very rarely in the day when the kites are around.
 
Well Ade that is good news to have the use of that barn. From what I have seen when going out on BO surveys they will nest in all sorts of places. Some farmer had an old tin shed in a field with a really narrow door and even that was an active site. I would suggest your idea of opening the small door in pic #1 A decent sized perch running up to the box will be an attractive proposition for them if they come and inspect it. Try checking this out Ade http://www.bocn.org/images/factfile/files/Barn%20Owl%20Link%20spring2007%20web.pdf

I did a simple google search "Do jackdaws bother Barn Owls" there is a mention of it on a couple of the results, but you will have to scroll through the text to try and find any info.
 
Thanks Rich, I got some reading up to do........:)
 
Ok, my views, seeing i have worked with and still do fly birds of prey for many years, done talks shows etc and studied them.

Barn owls do like old buildings, but like to hide up in the rafters in the darkest places, but i have seen them nesting in reletivley modern farm structures, but thats just adaptation. Branies are cupuscular owls, meaning they will hunt predominatley at dawn and dusk, but will hunt through the night and in daylight, the main thing is the abundance of food,ie mice , voles. Barnies dont get on with tawny owls, so if there are alot of them about then there could be a problem, as for the jackdaws, they are a scavenger, and tend to mob any raptor in thier area, but again, ive seen barnies thriving perfectly well where there is a strong jackdaw population.

Owl boxes can be used, but also just a platform fixed in a dark remote place in an old building can often suffice, they provide their own nesting material in the shape of their pellets, which they will crush to form a covering.

hope this is of use.
 
Very informative, thank you .........(y)
 
Sorry mate can't give you any words of advice other than what's been posted but if you ever need any nesting boxes give us a shout we tend to use off cuts when we have them for this purpose.
Regards
Richard
 
Please be aware that photographing barn owls at the nest could well be illegal,you would most likely need a license to do so.They will nest all year round as long as there is an adequate food supply.
 
lost said:
Sorry mate can't give you any words of advice other than what's been posted but if you ever need any nesting boxes give us a shout we tend to use off cuts when we have them for this purpose.
Regards
Richard
Click to expand...

Thanks Rich, very kind of you.........(y)

mex said:
Please be aware that photographing barn owls at the nest could well be illegal,you would most likely need a license to do so.They will nest all year round as long as there is an adequate food supply.
Click to expand...

I am aware of that thanks, IF I wanted to photograph them on the nest,I don`t for the record,then I would apply for the necessary license form English Nature. My plan is to give them somewhere to nest and hopefully breed in peace...........(y)
 
good on you! Barn owls unfortunately need all the help they can get. On a side,I heard recently that a well known spot for adders has had a lot of its population of these wonderful reptiles beheaded by dog walkers, worried that the snakes would 'attack' their pooches!
 
fracster said:
I think to attract the owls initially, I will block the ledges off, the jackdaws will have to nest elsewhere.

Thanks for the info......(y)
Click to expand...

thats ok...
I'd say definitly worth doing it initially...

Again to back up my point, my owl was out tonight and he was quickly hounded by some Jackdaws... put it this way, he wasn't around for long!
 
Hi Ade,

Sounds like an interesting project :)

May I suggest that you seek the advice of your local BOCN advisor (Barn Owl Conservation Network - part of the Hawk & Owl Trust) before proceeeding.

You'll be able to contact him via the BOCN website - http://www.bocn.org/map.asp - just click on Lancashire and you'll be given an e-mail address via which you'll be put in touch with him.

He'll be able to give you expert advice on the positioning of your nestbox, the likely impact of Jackdaws nesting nearby and any other queries you may have. He'll also be able to arrange for the box to be monitored by a suitably licensed individual (yes, I'm afraid you need a licence from the BTO to monitor/visit the box if it's used! - this is quite separate from the Schedule 1 photography licence mentioned previously) and will also be able to arrange for any resulting chicks to be ringed by a licensed ringer.

Incidentally, the presence of jackdaws can be a problem. Jackdaws often use Barn Owl boxes themselves and tend to block up the entrance hole with lots of twigs. There have even been instances of Jackdaws blocking up nest box entrances whilst the female Barn Owl has been sitting on eggs, resulting in her being unable to leave the box and the male BO unable to access it, and with the female then dying from starvation :eek:

Hope that helps and good luck with the project :)

Jeff
(Schedule 1 Licence holder for Kingfishers, Barn Owls and Avocets)
www.jeffharrisonphotography.co.uk
 
Excellent project Ade look forward to hearing your progress and news on this one(y)
 
Cheers guys.

Jeff, will look into that tomorrow, thanks for the info.
 
Good man Fracster :)

Jackdaws will definitely be a problem, especially if they're nesting nearby. I'd block those holes - the jacks will have no problem finding another site.

You need a good 100ft clearance in front of where you intend the Owls to access the nest - they glide in to minimise the chances of alerting predators to the location.

Ideally you want an decent area of long grass near the nest site as possible, in adverse weather they'll not be able to hunt - if they have to go a long distance to reach prey it'll reduce their ability to get out between showers. Even a couple of meters of grass verge at the side of a field will do if that's all you can manage. If there aren't any posts to hunt from in the immediate area you may want to bang some in... In winter prey is harder to come by and being able to "post hunt" rather than on the wing will enable the bird to conserve energy.

Check for obvious hazards like cattle troughs - try to get the owner to cover them with netting that will not stop cattle drinking but will stop Barn Owls falling in (or help them get out!). Young Owls are particularly vulnerable to this as they haven't worked out their feathers aren't waterproof!

Try to make sure there isn't much clutter under and around the box in case young fall out - so mum/dad can find them easily.

That's all I can think off the top of my head. http://www.barnowltrust.org.uk is a good resource for finding out more... drop them an email, they've got back to me quickly and offered help when I've contacted them.

Hope this helps!
 
Last edited:
Thanks Chris and all who have replied, hopefully this is going to work.
 
Jeff beat me to it mate, definitely speak to the local BOCN bod, they know all there is to know about the subject, and if the site is a good likely home :)

Good on the landowner for allowing it though, and you for persevering :)
 
That certainly is a beautiful looking barn.

We had success in Devon with a Barn Owl box in our wood store, a brick built barn with a high window at one end. We removed the window frame and mounted the Owl Box up in the rafters.

I agree with Chris that the Jackdaws would be a problem.

Best of luck with the project.
 
Speak to Vincent at the barn owl centre in Gloustershire. http://www.barnowl.co.uk/

What he doesn't know about BOs is not worth knowing as they say. He is a really great bloke too and a tog....
 
Great response,thanks all. If we have success then I shall keep you all up to date.

And thanks to the admin and mods for leaving it in this section...............(y)
 
Best of luck with it Ade. (y)

Both the sites I visit lost the female this year - one to starvation and the other taken by a Goshawk :(

On the positive side, the males managed to raise the young alone. I'm hoping we get some dispersing young in to replace the girls for next year.
 
This project has cost me three days pay already and I have not got an Owl box sited yet................:LOL:
 
Last edited:
JeffH said:
Hi Ade,

Sounds like an interesting project :)

May I suggest that you seek the advice of your local BOCN advisor (Barn Owl Conservation Network - part of the Hawk & Owl Trust) before proceeeding.

You'll be able to contact him via the BOCN website - http://www.bocn.org/map.asp - just click on Lancashire and you'll be given an e-mail address via which you'll be put in touch with him.

He'll be able to give you expert advice on the positioning of your nestbox, the likely impact of Jackdaws nesting nearby and any other queries you may have. He'll also be able to arrange for the box to be monitored by a suitably licensed individual (yes, I'm afraid you need a licence from the BTO to monitor/visit the box if it's used! - this is quite separate from the Schedule 1 photography licence mentioned previously) and will also be able to arrange for any resulting chicks to be ringed by a licensed ringer.

Incidentally, the presence of jackdaws can be a problem. Jackdaws often use Barn Owl boxes themselves and tend to block up the entrance hole with lots of twigs. There have even been instances of Jackdaws blocking up nest box entrances whilst the female Barn Owl has been sitting on eggs, resulting in her being unable to leave the box and the male BO unable to access it, and with the female then dying from starvation :eek:

Hope that helps and good luck with the project :)

Jeff
(Schedule 1 Licence holder for Kingfishers, Barn Owls and Avocets)
www.jeffharrisonphotography.co.uk
Click to expand...

Had a good chat with Colin, he gave me loads of good advice and put me in contact with a local Owl chap, thanks Jeff.
 
fracster said:
Had a good chat with Colin, he gave me loads of good advice and put me in contact with a local Owl chap, thanks Jeff.
Click to expand...

That's good and you're welcome Ade :)

I'm presuming that's Colin Shawyer - he's the country's top Barn Owl expert and has done more work/research with wild Barn Owls than anyone else.

Also, it's always good to have access to a local expert who knows the area, where current Barn Owl territories are, etc and who's on hand to give continuing advice.

I wish you well with the project Ade - do keep me posted on developments :)

Jeff
(Schedule 1 Licence holder for Kingfishers, Barn Owls and Avocets)
www.jeffharrisonphotography.co.uk
 
fracster said:
I have been pestering this guy for two years now, it takes time, but there is a faint glow at the end of the tunnel..........:)

On Saturday we were talking and I mentioned that barn owls were losing their natural nesting places, he said "Why?".............."Because people are converting all the barns to offices." I replied looking him in the eye,left it at that. 10 minutes later, permission granted..........;)

He is a nice fella, very clever, very wealthy, but still a pleasant bloke.
Click to expand...

He sounds like one in a million. Keep working at him.(y)
 
Same bloke who owns the estate in Inverness Charlie, ospreys,martens,reds sqs and roe.No shooting or hunting on his land and I think we are getting places.......at last.
 
JeffH said:
That's good and you're welcome Ade :)

I'm presuming that's Colin Shawyer - h\
Click to expand...

Yes that was the chap I spoke to,nice guy,clued up and very helpful.....(y)
 
fracster said:
Same bloke who owns the estate in Inverness Charlie, ospreys,martens,reds sqs and roe.No shooting or hunting on his land and I think we are getting places.......at last.
Click to expand...

A wee story about a gamekeeper on an estate not far from me.

Somebody found some Osprey eggs smashed at the bottom of the nest tree earlier this year. The finger was immediately pointed at the gamie & a meeting of all the great & holier than thow was called to bring him to book for his crime.

They all met with the gamie at the site where they got stuck into him for his crime. He let them ramble on for a while before he suggested that he would be a gie stupid gamie to leave evidence around if he had broken the eggs.
The numpties considered this & decided that if it was not him then it must have been egg theives. Again he suggested to these brainy folk that an egg collector would have made off with his prize. Reluctantly they agreed.

This led to a discussion about who would have done such a thing.
Gamie steps forward to tree & said. "look at the scaratches on the bark going up the tree. You have a Pine Marten." Eventually the great & good seemed to think the gamie just might be right.
That is when he said " Noo Ospreys & Pine Marten are both protected species. Fit are yea gaen tae dae noo!"

As yet I have not heard what they are going to do! :LOL:

Not all gamies are bad.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top