News Bytes – September 2023
These newsbytes have appeared on our social media sites, Facebook, X and Instagram during the month and have been pulled together here.
By 11 weeks of age, many young Barn Owls have made their first prey capture. By 14 weeks, fledglings have usually started to disperse. Depending on when the eggs are laid, dispersal can be as early as late June or as late as December, but is typically August-November.
More about juvenile dispersal here
Talking about the climate and ecological emergency with friends and family can be difficult. Here are our tips and resources for making it easier.
We recently presented at the Cornwall Farmland Bird Project Event at Haye Farm alongside the Farming & Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG) Southwest and Haye Farm folk. Richard & Lawrie gave very informative talks about the farmland bird surveys FWAG has carried out on the farm clusters in order to monitor how habitat management is working and inform members of the farm cluster about the species that live on their land Thank you Haye Farm, Devon and FWAG SouthWest
How far do juvenile Barn Owls disperse?
The ringing of nestling Barn Owls and the subsequent recovery of ringed birds has provided a wealth of information on dispersal. The average dispersal distance is 7.8 km (4.8 miles). The majority move less than 10 km and a small minority move a very long way indeed. Unusual movements include Devon to Yorkshire, Germany to west Cornwall and the Isle of Wight to Normandy and can find out more here.
We offer interesting, inspirational Barn Owl talks for all ages.
Find out more in this link – https://www.barnowltrust.org.uk/barn-owl-talks-environment-education/
Owl ringing provides important information that underpins conservation work for owls.
Find out more about ringing here.
Off and away! Photos of a successful release of 2 young Barn Owls in North Devon
Several months ago, we received word that the mum of a very young Barn Owl brood had sadly been found injured and subsequently died. The RSPCA jumped into action to retrieve the orphaned brood and reared them to a good age ready for release. The Barn Owl Trust then delivered our release trailer back to the original nest site location where the landowner dutifully delivered food to them daily for 2 weeks, before quietly lifting the lid of the aviary at dusk. The photos show the owls on their first night of freedom!
The owls are still returning back to the trailer to collect food as they become independent but will soon be dispersing off to establish their own home range.
For more information on the ‘supported release’ process please see our webpage.
Together we can make a difference.
Calling all Friends and Barn Owl Adopters! Feedback Issue 70 is here!!
If you receive your copy by post it should be winging its way to you now and if you receive it by email…check your inboxes! We really hope you enjoy reading all our news.
Thank you to Alastair Marsh for the beautiful cover photo which also features in our new 2024 calendar!
If you would like to hear more the work of the Trust do consider becoming a Friend or Adopting a Barn Owl.
This beautiful photo, taken by Vince Maidens, features as the January image in our 2024 calendar! The calendar is now available for £8 +p&p on our website – click on the link! Barn Owl Trust Calendar 2024
Thank you so much for your support Vince
www.instagram.com/vincemaidens
If you need help with a rescued owl, here’s how to find a good owl rehabilitator and contact details for across the UK – click here!
Happy smiles all round!
Find out how to build your own Barn Owl nestbox with a bespoke Nestbox Workshop – for small groups.
How lovely! We’re so grateful to Mark Harder and all the other wonderful photographers for their generous support of the 2024 calendar!
Get your copy here!
Discover how to create and manage good Barn Owl habitat.
Our reserve is home to an abundance of insect species, including this Pale Tussock Moth caterpillar and Dark Bush Cricket We would love to have an invertebrate survey carried out on our reserve one day!
We will hopefully have some exciting new videos from our trail camera to show you soon too!
Click here to learn all about our reserve.
Have you seen a Barn Owl recently?
Record your sightings on our survey website: https://www.barnowlsurvey.org.uk/
This beautiful photo, taken by Mick Ryan, features as the February image in our 2024 calendar! The calendar is now available for £8 +p&p on our website.
Thank you so much to the Francis Clark VAT Team from Exeter for spending their volunteering day with us last week We achieved a lot, had a great time and were very lucky with the weather!
If your business is considering holding a corporate team building day, please get in touch on info@barnowltrust.org.uk
We have released 6 young Barn Owls from our reserve this year, plus 2 more in North Devon. This footage was taken last night with our Hikmicro thermal image scope, and shows some initial explorations around the newly opened aviary.
Click here to see rescued owl release methods.
This amazing thermal image footage shows this young Barn Owl attempting to hunt on its very first flight from the release aviary, hovering and dropping into rough grassland on the reserve. After 2 months in captivity, its instincts are still sharp!
Found a wild owl? Click on this link!
Supported release aims to establish a pattern of return, so it was rewarding to watch a new-released Barn Owl return to the aviary after a few minutes and remain nearby. Please consider supporting the Barn Owl Trust.
Last year the Natural History Museum showed us just how biologically depleted the UK is, and further decline highlights our failure to reverse the situation. Climate change is a relatively new but highly threatening addition to our list of problems. Solutions must combine biodiversity conservation with a carbon neutral future.
The Independent’s article here
The Natural History Museum Global Biodiversity Intactness Index is here
Barn Owls and Climate Change information here
This beautiful photo, taken by Charlotte Rhodes, features as the March image in our 2024 calendar! The calendar is now available for £8 +p&p on our website
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