Press Release
OWL WEBCAM RETURNS FOR 2008
14 May 2008
The barn owl is one of Britain’s best loved birds. However, since the 1900s their number has declined rapidly and currently there are approximately 4,400 breeding pairs. Such was the concern for the future of the barn owl that they were protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 which made it an offence to disturb their nesting sites.
As their name suggests, barn owls like to nest in old barns and disused farm buildings. Traditionally owls had been encouraged to nest in barns, where often a special owl window and ledge would be built-in to the high gable end. Stacks of hay and straw provided ideal nesting arrangements, with warm, dark corners where the female could safely incubate her eggs.
However, in order to comply with today’s grain storage assurance schemes, farmers must effectively seal off their barns to protect them from contamination from pests, rodents and birds. This has prevented the inclusion of owl windows in modern barns across the UK.
Taking the Initiative
In 1991 The Crown Estate began its barn owl and kestrel recovery programme on its estates in the east of England. This was operated by the Wildlife Conservation Partnership (WCP). After extensive research, this resulted in placing specially designed nesting boxes, mounted on telegraph poles, in suitable locations. The boxes themselves look like dog kennels, and some are even big enough for two families to nest – one above the other – rather like condominium living. Over the last sixteen years, more nest boxes have been added as the project was extended to other estates across the country.
There are now almost 200 owl boxes on ten of The Crown Estate’s rural estates and The Crown Estate continues to work in close partnership with Colin Shawyer of the WCP to maintain and monitor the boxes.
Breeding Success
Since the beginning of The Crown Estate’s breeding project, owls have grown more confident in using the nest boxes, with some pairs returning year after year.
2007 was the most successful year to date, with a UK total of 111 owls reared from The Crown Estate’s nest boxes across ten estates and significantly in 2007, some of the barn owls raised second broods. Most of the estates where the boxes are located are in lower lying parts of the eastern and north eastern counties.
Drain channels provide ideal hunting grounds and rough grassland dyke banks, laid out in a linear grid across farmland, are well suited to the owl’s hunting method of quartering low over rough vegetation. That’s why most of the boxes here have been placed along dykes and sea banks; especially where management of the bank vegetation has been adapted to promote a high and stable population of field voles, the barn owls’ most common prey.
Barn owl pairs breed for life, although males can occasionally be bigamous! Sometimes pairs will use the same nest site for over twenty years. Between four and six eggs are usually laid in April or early May and each egg is incubated by the female for 30-31 days. The male feeds his mate during this time. When the young hatch they will remain in the nest for approximately 60 days but can stay for up to 86 days.
Monitoring by the WCP of pairs of barn owls using The Crown Estate’s nest boxes showed that in 2007 70% laid eggs in the first week of April. The WCP check, weigh and ring all young owls just before they fledge, which is how The Crown Estate can evaluate the success of the breeding programme and track the progress and movement of the owlets once they leave the nest.
Webcams
There was an exciting new development to the project in 2006 in the shape of discreet webcams being installed in two of the nesting boxes – one occupied by kestrels, the other by barn owls. This was initiated and managed by The Crown Estate’s local agents Carter Jonas, Cambridge. The progress of the kestrel and owl chicks proved very popular and attracted large numbers of visitors to our website.
We are pleased to announce that in 2008 we will once again be placing webcams in a number of bird boxes on one of our estates around The Wash. Throughout the 2008 breeding season the chicks can be viewed during incubation and fledging. It is hoped to use six boxes this year to ensure we capture a breeding pair of owls or kestrels. The webcams will be in place from late April to September.
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 Owl Webcam 2008
Please note that the webcam feeds through as automatically updating screen grabs. No view within the nesting box is possible during the hours of darkness.
Further Information
Bird Webcams 2006
For more information about barn owls, please visit the following websites:
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