During the summer months the BOAG volunteers are out and about in Staffordshire busy checking nest boxes, keeping a careful eye on how the breeding season is going. Monitoring also gives conservationists a good opportunity to see how the barn owl population is doing from year to year. We are able to establish whether pairs of barn owls are in good health and able to breed; how many eggs and young they produce and whether the brood is successful and the parents rear all the young until they are ready to fledge.
Barn owls are not the only species that use the nest boxes, we regularly find stock doves, grey squirrels and jackdaws using the boxes to nest or roost in. From time to time we find more unusual species such as mandarin duck, tawny owls and kestrels using the nest boxes.
At the end of July John, Ivan and myself went to inspect nest boxes installed on farmland and nature reserves in East Staffordshire. On the first farm that we visited we had five barn owl nest boxes to check, we found three boxes with nesting stock doves and two boxes which had been used by jackdaws. A more unusual find in one of the boxes was the old comb from a wasp's nest.
Barn owls are not the only species that use the nest boxes, we regularly find stock doves, grey squirrels and jackdaws using the boxes to nest or roost in. From time to time we find more unusual species such as mandarin duck, tawny owls and kestrels using the nest boxes.
At the end of July John, Ivan and myself went to inspect nest boxes installed on farmland and nature reserves in East Staffordshire. On the first farm that we visited we had five barn owl nest boxes to check, we found three boxes with nesting stock doves and two boxes which had been used by jackdaws. A more unusual find in one of the boxes was the old comb from a wasp's nest.
Empty comb from an old wasp's nest
The next site that we visited has two boxes overlooking land in the process of being enhanced for wildlife. The first box had stock dove chicks, the second box was beginning to look hopeful as there were white splashings in the undergrowth around the tree, a good sign that barn owls have been around. Unfortunately, when we opened up the nest box we found a dead male barn owl, such a shame.
An unfortunate discovery, a dead male barn owl inside a nest box
It wasn't obvious how the barn owl had died so we sent the dead bird off to be analysed by the Predatory Bird Monitoring Scheme. The post mortem results that came back a few months later were inconclusive.
We then returned to an estate where we had found barn owl chicks the previous year, we were in luck there were two healthy chicks in the nest box, which were ringed a few days later.
We then returned to an estate where we had found barn owl chicks the previous year, we were in luck there were two healthy chicks in the nest box, which were ringed a few days later.
Two healthy barn owl chicks not far off fledging
Our final box of the day was installed on the edge of a village overlooking farmland. Last year we had found three barn owl pellets in the box, this time we found over 30 fresh pellets so a barn owl had continued to use the nest box as a place to roost.
We never know what we will find until the nest boxes are monitored and we get a brief glimpse of the wildlife stories behind the inspection hatches of the barn owl nest boxes. A day of highs and lows!
We never know what we will find until the nest boxes are monitored and we get a brief glimpse of the wildlife stories behind the inspection hatches of the barn owl nest boxes. A day of highs and lows!