BirdWatch Ireland launch Kildare Barn Owl Survey

BirdWatch Ireland in collaboration with Kildare County Council are undertaking a survey of Barn Owls in Kildare this summer and they are asking the public and landowners to report information on Barn Owls to help direct their survey efforts.

Have you seen a Barn Owl, know of a Barn Owl nest site or have installed a Barn Owl nest box in Kildare? If so, then we’d love to hear from you! To report this information to BirdWatch Ireland, please visit: http://bit.ly/BarnOwlSurvey-BirdWatchIreland

The Barn Owl survey in Kildare aims to establish how Barn Owls are currently faring in the county. 

The project, a collaboration between Birdwatch Ireland and Kildare County Council, is funded by the Local Biodiversity Action Fund of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The findings of the survey will be used to ensure the protection of nest sites and to direct targeted conservation efforts which will include the provision of nest boxes to help the local Barn Owl population.

Many years ago, prior to the intensification of agriculture and the widespread deployment of anticoagulant rodenticides, the Barn Owl was a much more common sight throughout the country. Over recent decades, Barn Owl populations have suffered widespread declines and are now a Red-listed Bird of Conservation Concern in Ireland. As a top predator and indicator species for the health of our countryside, these declines in Barn Owl populations were of great concern. The intensification of agricultural practices resulted in the loss of suitable Barn Owl habitats, including a reduction of prey-rich foraging habitat and nesting sites. Alongside these land use changes and the loss of habitat, the increased use and toxicity of anti-coagulant rodenticides, and the expansion of major road networks are likely to be the main factors which have driven the declines in the Barn Owl populations across Ireland.

In recent years, the fortunes of Barn Owls appear to be turning a corner in many parts of Ireland. Barn Owl pairs have moved into nest boxes provided for them and re-established in old ruins which have not held Barn Owls for many years, especially in the south-west of the country. One of the reasons for this recovery may be due to the range expansion of non-native small mammal species, the Greater White-toothed Shrew and the Bank Vole, both of which are favoured prey of the Barn Owl and are now widespread throughout Munster and parts of Leinster and Connacht.

John Lusby, Raptor Conservation Officer with BirdWatch Ireland, explained the background to the survey, “For the last number of years, we have been undertaking Barn Owl surveys in various counties across the country in order to gain an up-to-date picture of how the species is faring in Ireland. Kildare is one of the final counties we have yet to survey, and it is also one of the most interesting, given its position at the fringe of the expanding Barn Owl population to the south”. He continued “We strongly suspect that the Barn Owl population in Kildare is on the rise, given the increased number of sightings reported over the last few years from the county. We look forward to seeing how many breeding pairs of Barn Owls we can find this year, together with the help of the Kildare BirdWatch Ireland Branch and the local community”.

In recent years, the local Kildare Branch of BirdWatch Ireland have been busy installing Barn Owl nest boxes in suitable locations throughout the county. Speaking ahead of the launch of the survey, Tom McCormack said “We in the Kildare Branch of BirdWatch Ireland have supported this drive to protect Barn Owls in County Kildare by erecting over 100 nest boxes and we are delighted to participate further in this survey”.

To assist the survey efforts, BirdWatch Ireland are requesting information on Barn Owls in the county. Alan McCarty, Barn Owl Research Officer with BirdWatch Ireland, explained the citizen science element of the survey “It is an unforgettable experience to glimpse the ghostly white figure of the Barn Owl floating silently through the night sky, or to hear their eerie screeches and peculiar snoring calls. Anybody who has been lucky enough to experience this for themselves remembers such an encounter, and we are asking people to report this information to us, which will greatly help our survey efforts to locate nest sites and to determine the health of the population in Kildare.“

Méabh Boylan, Biodiversity Officer with Kildare County Council said “The Hertiage Team in Kildare County Council is delighted to be able to support Birdwatch Ireland in carrying out this very important survey work. As outlined in the County’s Heritage Plan, it is critical that we gain a good understanding of the local state and status of the biodiversity across the county. By gathering this information, we are in a much better position to act on protecting Kildare’s natural heritage and identifying ways to ensure that our rarer habitats and species can thrive. The Barn Owl is one of our most beautiful and emblematic creatures. Encounters with this bird are not easily forgotten. I am sure that individuals and communities around the county will be keen to support this survey, knowing that they are assisting in the monitoring and the longer-term protection of the species by doing so”.

You can help the survey and conservation efforts by reporting any information that you have on Barn Owls in the county by visiting http://bit.ly/BarnOwlSurvey-BirdWatchIreland

BirdWatch Ireland also stress that Barn Owls are a protected species and can be very sensitive to disturbance, and that potential nest sites should never be approached or interfered with in any way.