Barn Owls Nest Box Project - update May 2017

The aim of this project is to support the Biosphere barn owl population and to counter national declines of up to 90% observed in recent years by the BTO, RSPB and the Barn Owl Trust. Devon on the whole has a greater population of barn owls than many other regions in the UK but there is still a great deal of work to be done to see barn owls once again ‘common’ in the county.

To achieve this goal the project will provide barn owl nest boxes (20 in total) to farmers and land owners who have both suitable habitat on or around their land holding and an open building in which to site a nest box. The project is advertised on the North Devon Biosphere website and periodical reminders are sent out with the newsletter. All who are interested in receiving a nest box and qualify with the aforementioned criteria are advised to contact myself to arrange visits and deliveries. Staff from the Devon Wildlife Trust have also kindly been spreading news of the project to their volunteers and donors and several installations have been arranged through this relationship.

The project has been active for 10 months now and I began construction of the first nest boxes in November last year. From December last year to April this year a total of 4 nest boxes have been delivered and installed. 3 recipients are being scheduled for May and I would like to see a further 3 nest boxes delivered before the end of July bringing the total to 10 nest boxes (a theoretical half way point) in the first year since the project was approved.

Moving forward, I will aim to find homes for the remaining 10 nest boxes within the second year of the project. I look forward to keeping you updated with the projects progress.

Phil Metcalfe.

Here are the nest boxes allocated through the project and resident in quiet or unused barns, perfect for starting a new family.