2020 Barn Owl Report Ulster Wildlife
Barn Owl Report – 2020Ulster Wildlife
AcknowledgementsWe would like to thank all the people involved, directly or indirectly, in the barn owlproject. Thank you to every single volunteer that carried out the survey for us, andthose that reported sightings. A special thank you to our nest minders who go out oftheir way to protect barn owls in Northern Ireland. Thank you to everyone that madeus a barn owl nesting box and assisted in the project. As this project has limitedfunding, we rely on our superb volunteers to achieve the objectives of our conservationwork. It is always humbling to see that so many of you stand in solidarity with us to tryto help this iconic species thrive in Northern Ireland. 2020 has been a strange yeardue to the impacts of Covid-19; we have been limited in what we have been able todo, but with the help of staff, trainees and volunteers, have still managed to continueour conservation efforts for barn owls in NI. This year’s programme delivery would nothave been possible without your help.Thank you also to the BTO, CEDaR, Comber Rotary, National Trust, NBDC, NIRSG,RSPB, The Boys Brigade 4th Dromore, UW Grassroots Challenge and the YoungFarmers Club.Picture 1: Comber Rotary: These fabulous volunteers spent lockdown making barn owl boxes andsquirrel feeders for Ulster Wildlife.
Contents1. Introduction.42. Barn Owl/Long-eared Owl Survey.42.1. Background.42.2. Survey Methodology.52.3. Results.53. Other key points.63.1. Sightings.63.2. Dead barn owl reports.73.3. Known active nest sites.73.4. Boxes.94. MSc Project.104. Limitations.125. Future plans.126. Conclusion.137. References.14
IntroductionSince 2010, Ulster Wildlife has undertaken work focusing on the conservation of BarnOwls (Tyto alba) in Northern Ireland. Classed as “Least Concern” on the IUCN red liston the global scale, the situation in Northern Ireland however is highly concerning.Barn owls have been in decline for decades as a result of habitat loss. The lastpopulation estimate in the 1980s put the breeding population at only 30 to 50 breedingpairs (Northern Ireland Species Action Plan, 2006); but we estimate there are nowlikely less than 30 pairs. Fortunately, they are now protected and appear as a priorityspecies in the Northern Ireland Biodiversity Strategy and are also “Red Listed” in Birdsof Conservation Concern in Ireland.As an important part of our natural and cultural heritage, our Barn Owl work aims todevelop and advance barn owl conservation throughout Northern Ireland. A range ofactions are undertaken, such as the management of sightings, roosting sites, and nestsites, that are provided by the general public, the construction and the erection of nestboxes, and supporting landowners to improve their habitat for barn owls. In addition,one of our main prongs of activity takes place during the summer through the annualbarn owl survey. Thanks to our dedicated volunteers, consecutive barn owl surveyshave been carried out across the whole of Northern Ireland, on an annual basis since2010. The aim is to visit sites that are most likely to host barn owls in order to discovernew active roost or nest sites; although this had to change this year due to therestrictions from Covid-19. Knowing the exact locations of roosting and breeding barnowls is essential to target our conservation efforts. However, surveying for barn owlsis not an easy task, particularly due to the low population densities that exist inNorthern Ireland. In addition, the fact that they are nocturnal and one of the mostelusive birds make them even harder to find.This report will give an overview of the work that has been done throughout the year,with an important focus on the barn owl survey. It will compare some results with thefindings of the previous years, and the work plan for 2021 will be discussed.2. Barn Owl Survey2.1. BackgroundThe Ulster Wildlife Barn Owl Survey started in 2010. During the first years, the fieldwork concentrated on 2x2 km survey tetrads in areas where barn owls had beensighted. After talking to locals and landowners and conducting field based surveys,historic and potential nest/roost sites, as well as locations of barn owl boxes withineach tetrad were identified, surveyed and recorded into the mapping database.Since 2016, Ulster Wildlife have carried out a national presence-absence surveybased on these identified sites and they are included in our adaptation of the Barn OwlTrust’s “Three Step Survey Method”. The steps consist of the following:-Desktop Survey to identify the most likely sites barn owls will be found throughthe use of sightings reports from communities and individuals, habitat maps,aerial photos and precipitation records.
--Interviewing Local People. This is carried out throughout the year at localevents such as country fairs, agricultural shows and through submissions fromthe general public by phone and on our website. Volunteers are also seekingto discuss barn owls with local landowners and erect posters calling forsightings in their local areas.Intensive Surveying. Volunteers survey for activity at the most likely sitesacross Northern Ireland, such as historic nest sites, nest boxes, active nestsites, potential sites or area where we have an important number of confirmedsightings.Since 2018 we have also included long-eared owls (Asio otus) in our survey. Whilethey are considered to be common and widespread across the whole of the island ofIreland (NIRSG, Birdwatch Ireland, Bird Atlas 2007-11), there is a lack of informationon their distribution across Northern Ireland. With common characteristics betweenbarn owl and long-eared owl, like the fact that, to a large degree, they rely on the samefood sources (i.e. small rodents), we are trying to understand why barn owls areseemingly struggling much more than long-eared owls.2.2. Survey MethodologyFor our 2020 survey, due to the impacts of Covid-19, we were unable to hold our usualworkshops. Instead we contacted anyone on our list that had a barn owl box and askedthat the landowner check the box themselves for any signs of occupation during themonths of July and August. This meant that no one was walking on other people’s landin order to keep people safe. Each surveyor received a copy of the SurveyMethodology, a Recording Form and a Risk Assessment.We asked that people provided us with up-to-date information regarding the nestingbox: whether it was being used,
box to roost in. On inspection the box is actually letting in water and so a new box will be installed in early 2021, along with other boxes nearby. This gives the birds in the area more options when looking for a nesting site. 3. Other key points 3.1. Sightings We are pleased to see suppor
1 Typical Owls Eastern Screech-Owl † 48 Great Horned Owl † 50 Snowy Owl † 52 Burrowing Owl † 54 Barred Owl † 56 Long-eared Owl † 58 Short-eared Owl † 60 Northern Saw-whet Owl † 62 † Rare Kansas Raptors † 64 Swallow-tailed Kite White-tailed Kite Harris's Hawk Gray Hawk Western Screech-Owl Flammulated Owl .
owl you’re talking about, and there are a staggering 150 documented species of owls (possibly even more, depending on how you classify the different species). 19 species of owls are found in North America, including the following: barn owl, burrowing owl, eastern screech owl, great grey owl, spotted owl, an
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