Barn Owls in Lincolnshire
A good news story for birds of prey…
Yesterday evening I spent a very pleasant quater of an hour in the company of a man who lives on the land close to where I walk in search of barn owls. His house occupies an enviable position overlooking perfect hunting territory for my favourite bird of prey.
I was under the impression that there was only a single pair of barn owls in this area but I was staggered to be told that in fact there are at least nine pairs along with regular visits from merlins, kestrels, peregrine falcons, hobby’s, kites, short eared owls, marsh and hen harrier’s. This is pretty awesome news for me, he very kindly showed me their haunts and explained about other visitors to the fens including a kingfisher, redshanks, wagtails, warblers, geese, swans and many more.
He told me about his sponsorship of the local RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) and once home I began doing some research on the local barn owl population. I had been told that this area was one of the best in the country for barn owls and he wasn’t wrong!
Twenty one years ago the county launched ‘Operation Barn Owl’ which was designed to boost the county’s barn owl population of 200 pairs. Given the size of the county this was really quite a low number so a project was launched to make the drainage ditches more suitable for hunting owls. Special boxes were erected along the ditches encouraging the owls to nest and breed to the point that there are now some 900 pairs of barn owls in the county, more than any other county in England. These boxes have provided shelter for more than a thousand barn owl chicks and thanks to the management of the strips of land between the ditches the barn owls main choice of protein, the field vole has itself increased in numbers providing much needed food during otherwise lean periods of hunting.
I was really quite heartened to listen to Graham and then discover more about my county’s efforts to increase its owl population, it’s a good news story during a period of otherwise gloomy news stories.
For more recent photographs and information please click here
Barn Owl in Flight
Miles,
firstly what a great picture of a barn owl in flight - excellent.
It’s great news to hear of the numbers and efforts being made. Interestingly today, whilst talking of Buzzards, somebody told me how they’d once seen a snowy owl here in Lincolnshire ! !
It was a few years ago but non-the-less !
Cheers
Rod
September 29, 2009 @ 7:22 pm
Miles,
It is indeed good news to hear of the active countryside management that has allowed the barn owl population to increase. I was quite alarmed some time ago when a television programme pointed out the decrease in old barns and outbuildings and the lack of nesting sites left available to the barn owls.
There is much more awareness now of the importance to protect our wildlife. The good work done should be reported more often and thank you for telling us about ithe achievements in Lincolnshire.
Anne
September 29, 2009 @ 7:22 pm
Miles,
That is a great news story. Like you said, it’s so good to be uplifted by stories like this when there’s so much else in life trying to do the opposite. A 350% increase in numbers over just a couple of decades is very impressive indeed. I bet the county’s voles are delighted.
GDave
September 30, 2009 @ 3:26 pm
Wow! Just Wow on the photo, Miles. . .
September 30, 2009 @ 6:50 pm
Rod,
That would be a dream to see a snowy owl around here wouldn’t it.
Miles
September 30, 2009 @ 11:27 pm
GDave,
I bet the voles are loving it! I keep watching one scurrying across the lanes, I can’t believe it hasn’t been picked off yet.
Miles
September 30, 2009 @ 11:28 pm
Anne,
It is great to see the huts they have put up to house the owls, it really is a good news story all round.
Miles
September 30, 2009 @ 11:29 pm
Laura,
Thanks, it’s a pity you cannot see the full image of it, they are difficult to photograph in the wild but I’m still trying to get ‘that shot’
Miles
September 30, 2009 @ 11:30 pm