Monitoring
BOAG has been monitoring nest boxes since 2003, over which time more boxes have been installed, allowing more information to be collected, gaining a better understanding of the success of barn owl breeding in Staffordshire from year to year.
The boxes are checked in late spring, early summer to see if there is any breeding activity and revisited when the young are old enough to be ringed. The volunteers also visit boxes after young have fledged to clean out debris and maintain these important nest sites.
Barn owl chicks found in a BOAG nest box during monitoring
BOAG has been monitoring nest boxes since 2003, over which time more boxes have been installed, allowing more information to be collected, gaining a better understanding of the success of barn owl breeding in Staffordshire from year to year.
The boxes are checked in late spring, early summer to see if there is any breeding activity and revisited when the young are old enough to be ringed. The volunteers also visit boxes after young have fledged to clean out debris and maintain these important nest sites.
Barn owl chicks found in a BOAG nest box during monitoring
Despite being one of the wettest summers on record, 2012 resulted in the best year BOAG has recorded so far (see Monitoring Results for Staffordshire). During the breeding season 54 breeding pairs of barn owls were recorded. The early spring with warm, dry weather came at the start of the barn owl breeding season and saw an abundance of small mammals providing a plentiful supply of food for chicks.
However, the wet summer did have a negative effect on the young as from the 204 eggs recorded only 136 chicks survived to fledge. Even so, this was still nearly double the amount of chicks recorded for 2011.
A larder full of wood mice, March 2012 (photo by Ian Littlewood)
However, the wet summer did have a negative effect on the young as from the 204 eggs recorded only 136 chicks survived to fledge. Even so, this was still nearly double the amount of chicks recorded for 2011.
A larder full of wood mice, March 2012 (photo by Ian Littlewood)
Barn owls are not the only species to take up residence in barn owl nest boxes jackdaws (Corvus monedula), stock doves (Columba oenas) and grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) regularly make use of the nest box accomodation. Mandarin duck (Aix galericulata), kestrels (Falco tinnunculus), little owls (Athene noctua), tawny owls (Strix aluco), hornets (Vespa spp.) and hibernating butterflies (Lepidoptera) have also been found using the boxes over the years.
Kestrels nested and reared 3 young in this box (photo by Helen Cottam)
Kestrels nested and reared 3 young in this box (photo by Helen Cottam)
Ringing
When the chicks reach 6 weeks of age and older they can be ringed with a small metal ring inscribed with a unique identity number issued by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO). If ever the birds are recaptured or, as is more often the case, found dead then the details on the ring attached to their leg indicates how old the bird was and where it hatched. Although, the ring is not a tracking device it does give an idea of where the bird has come from and how far it has traveled from its nest site, to its new territory.
The chicks are ringed by fully trained and licensed ringers who also weigh measure and age the young birds giving an indication of how healthy and well the brood are doing at that moment in time.
A barn owl chick can be aged by the development of its feathers (photo by Helen Cottam)
Attaching a metal ring to the leg of a barn owl chick provides details of its unique identity providing more information to help with barn owl conservation if the bird is recaptured or found.
A barn owl Chick being ringed (photo by Tony Redmond)
A barn owl Chick being ringed (photo by Tony Redmond)