Barn Owl Surveys

Barn Owls are specially adapted to hunt small mammals in open habitats at low light levels.  They catch their prey (of which field voles form a large part) in flight or occasionally from perches such as trees and fence posts.  Ideal habitat includes large areas of rough tussocky grassland (with a close thatch at the base) as this provides shelter for key prey items, but strips of suitable habitat along field margins may be used over a wider area.  Farm buildings with good numbers of rats and mice are also used.

Farm buildings and trees are the main roosting and nesting sites adopted by Barn Owls although rock crevices may also be used. Ideally nest sites will be situated close to good foraging areas.  Barn Owls like to roost and nest out of view, preferring sites as high as possible.  They do not build nest sites but use flat surfaces such as ledges, hay and straw bales and readily use artificial nest boxes.  They may gradually adapt to regular human activity but are generally more sensitive to disturbance whilst on eggs.  Once settled into a home range they are generally faithful to roosting sites throughout their lives.

Signs of Barn Owls include distintively shaped pellets (regurgitated food items), feathers  and white splash marks below roosting/nesting sites.  Evidence may not always be obvious particularly when birds roost at height, on ledges and amoungst stacks of ay or straw bales.

Barn Owls are given additonal legal protection as Schedule 1 birds under the Wildlife & Countryside Act (1981, as amended) and a licence may be required to undertake surveys where they are present at certain times of the year.  Disturbance at these times should always be minimised.  Where bat surveys are required in buildings used by Barn Owls, consideration of timing and survey techniques should be taken into account.