Barn owl boxes question.

[Gerel]

Hi all,

at the top end of the field above our house there are a couple of disused old barns. I was walking past them today when a barn owl flew out of one of them right in front of me (camera not ready of course ). I took a look inside and, judging by the feathers

and the heap of pellets

it's been used as a regular roost for a while.

However there is no suitable place for a nest that I can see, so I am thinking of putting an owl box up. Can anybody advise me as to whether it would be worth doing now or should I wait till the Autumn so it will be ready for next year.

It is the first time I've seen a barn owl on our land and I don't want to scare it away.

Thanks

Steve

[JeffH]

Hi Steve,

I'd say do it now as you may still be in with a chance of a pair using the box this year.

Please do, however, bear in mind that as a species specially protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act and eventhough the box will be on your own land, you'll need a licence from Natural England if you want to take photos "at or near the nest" and/or a monitoring licence from the BTO (British Trust for Ornithology) if you want to monitor the nest, eg. by opening the box to check for/count eggs, young, etc.

There's more information about such matters in my 'Barn Owl Diary (with photos)' thread here - Barn Owl Diary (with photos)

You might also want to get in touch with your local area representative of the Hawk & Owl Trust's Barn Owl Conservation Network (BOCN) - http://www.bocn.org/ - if you need any advice on the positioning of the box and perhaps with a view to getting any young ringed.

I hope that helps & good luck with it

Jeff
(Schedule 1 Licence holder for Kingfishers and Barn Owls)

[ron1863]

Barn Owls don't really make a nest and will happily use wide rafters or the tops of old interior barn walls to lay eggs, as long as it is dry and sheltered. Nesting boxes should encourage them and provide shelter.

[Gerel]

Hi Jeff

Don't worry, in the past I've been on disturbance and photo licenses for kites, goshawk, peregrine, henharrier and barn owl (from CCW here) so know the rules . I did think I might put a cctv camera in the box with cables running to the other barn to see if it is used.

I could be wrong Ron but there don't seem to be any ledges etc of a size that would be useable.

Steve

[JeffH]

Originally Posted by Gerel

Hi Jeff

Don't worry, in the past I've been on disturbance and photo licenses for kites, goshawk, peregrine, henharrier and barn owl (from CCW here) so know the rules . I did think I might put a cctv camera in the box with cables running to the other barn to see if it is used. Steve

Sorry Steve for 'teaching you to suck eggs' as they say - glad to hear you're familiar with the rules, etc. As you'll know, many people aren't and just didn't want you to get yourself in any sort of trouble.

Apologies also for the reference to Natural England as the licensing authority - I'd overlooked your location

By the way, if you do go ahead with the project please be sure to keep us posted

Jeff
(Schedule 1 Licence holder for Kingfishers and Barn Owls)