Last week BOAG was filming with the BBC, for a feature on barn owls, to coincide with the publication of the Barn Owl Trust's latest report on the state of barn owls in the UK.
2014 saw a much improved picture for barn owls across the UK compared with 2013 when numbers greatly declined following a cold, late spring.
Members of the BOAG team were filmed constructing barn owl nest boxes at the Staffordshire Wildlife Trust's HQ, where the group is based. Barn owl nest boxes provide important roost and nest sites for barn owls as many of the traditional and natural nest sites, such as old barns and hollow trees, have been lost in recent years. Nest boxes provide an alternative breeding place for barn owls and are important in conservation as they enable barn owl groups to monitor the barn owl population and gauge how they are doing from year to year.
2014 saw a much improved picture for barn owls across the UK compared with 2013 when numbers greatly declined following a cold, late spring.
Members of the BOAG team were filmed constructing barn owl nest boxes at the Staffordshire Wildlife Trust's HQ, where the group is based. Barn owl nest boxes provide important roost and nest sites for barn owls as many of the traditional and natural nest sites, such as old barns and hollow trees, have been lost in recent years. Nest boxes provide an alternative breeding place for barn owls and are important in conservation as they enable barn owl groups to monitor the barn owl population and gauge how they are doing from year to year.
David Gregory-Kumar, correspondent with BBC Inside Out, then went on a visit to a barn owl nest box along the River Dove. The box was one of forty which had been installed as part of a project with BOAG and the Environment Agency back in 2006/7 and where last year a family of five young barn owls unusually had fledged as late as the end of November. This reflected the long breeding season of 2014 with barn owls across the UK producing late and second broods helping to boost barn owl numbers.
BOAG will feature on Inside Out for the West Midlands region on Monday 9th February at 7.30pm.
Click on the link below to catch up with the barn owl feature on Inside Out
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b051v9wc
BOAG will feature on Inside Out for the West Midlands region on Monday 9th February at 7.30pm.
Click on the link below to catch up with the barn owl feature on Inside Out
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b051v9wc