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About Us

The group had existed for several years prior to 2000 as a breed and release scheme, however licences for this activity were no longer being issued and so we sought other ways to make an impact on the conservation of barn owls in the Mid Cheshire area.

 

We are people from many walks of life with varying degrees of knowledge and experince of barn owls, including people who have never even seen a barn owl but non the less recognise their plight. We are all concerned about the decline of the barn owl and want to contribute to it’s survival. We meet regularly to discuss current issues, sightings and identify the action that we will take to assist in the conservation of this endangered species.

 

Why do we exist?

In 1932 there were 240 pairs of barn owls in Cheshire and by 1985 there was just 35 pairs. This represents a decline in Cheshire of 85% against an average decline rate of 69%, one of the highest decline rates in England & Wales. That was bad but worse was to come and in 1999 only 10 breeding pairs were recorded in Cheshire.

We almost lost the the barn owl in Cheshire (click to see full size).

The number of breeding pairs in 2000 was recorded as 19 and appeared to have been an increase over previous years but the truth is that by then recording was more accurate due to the increasing network of recorders such as barn owl groups like ours and increased public awareness.  Therefore we tend to consider 2000 and 19 breeding pairs as the first date we can consider as being reasonably accurate.

Never the less the decline was dramatic and we aimed to reverse this decline and to do so we set out our aims and objectives.

Aims and objectives

• To monitor and record the barn owl population, sightings, roosts and nest sights in order to help protect and preserve them within the Mid-Cheshire sudy area, contained generally within the bounds of the A49 to the west, the A34 to the east, the M56 to the north and Crewe to the south.
• To assess and record the barn owl breeding and feeding habits throughout the study area.
• To encourage the dispersal of juvenile barn owls within the study area by the enhancement of owl corridors and habitat.
• To conduct research into barn owl activities and dispersal in the study area.
• To increase the public awareness of the barn owl as an endangered and legally protected species and the need to conserve and improve it’s habitat in the area by way of talks and discussions with local organisations and displays at local countryside events throughout the County.
• To co-operate and liase with other national and local ornithological, the Cheshire Wildlife Trust and local authorities in the recording and improvement of habitats within the study area.
• To provide a forum for discussion and action for people willing to assist on the conservation of the barn owl in Mid Cheshire.

Group meetings are held on the last Thursday of most months at 7.30pm at Lower Moss Wood, contact us to confirm the dates. Periodic meetings are also held during the summer months including visits to reserves, various forms of field work and social events.

Members are encouraged to assist with field survey work, the placing of barn owl boxes in suitable locations, attendance at agricultural shows etc. with general advice and instruction being available for these activities. Members pay an annual membership fee as described in the membership application form.

It should be noted that a Confidentiality Protocol will be observed regarding certain barn owl information.

What We Are Doing

We have an enormous amount of work to do, including:

• 

  Nest box checking. Even though there
  was a pigeon watching from above,
   there was a barn owl in the main
  compartment! Photo: Ian Jones

  Locate and protect existing breeding sites.
• Locate and develop existing suitable breeding sites, providing nest boxes if necessary.
• Maintain nest boxes. We have over 1000 nest boxes, they don’t last forever and we have to repair or replace those that decay.
  
• Encourage the creation or recovery of suitable habitats for hunting and breeding.
• Survey land planned for development so that developers can work to mitigate the impact on barn owls.
• Work together with any other organisation that has an impact on the conservation of barn owls.
• Record and follow up sightings.
• Monitor the population of barn owls in the Mid Cheshire area.
• Participate in reports beyond our area:
  • In liaison with the other Cheshire groups participate in the annual “Cheshire Barn Owl Report”.
  • At a national level we particpate in the “State of the UK Barn Owl Population” published by the Barn Owl Trust each year.
• Raise and maintain public awareness.

Progress so far

The number of breeding pairs in 2000 was recorded as 19 and appeared to have been an increase over previous years but the truth is that by then recording was more accurate due to the increasing network of recorders such as barn owl groups like ours and increased public awareness. Therefore we tend to consider 2000 and 19 breeding pairs as our starting point. At that time each pair produced an average of 2.2 fledglings. It has been calculated that an average of 2.65 fledglings per breeding pair are required to maintain stable barn owl population in Cheshire, so as things stood we could have expected the decline to continue. Along with other barn owl groups we embarked on a project to place nest boxes at appropriate locations and encourage the maintenance and creation of suitable habitat.

Progress was made and by 2003 there were around 30 breeding pairs of barn owls recorded in the county, 5 of them in Mid Cheshire. This was good but not yet good enough, a long dry summer or harsh winter could seriously reduce this number very quickly. Over the following years we continued our work and the barn owl population has continued to grow.

Roughly every 7 years there’s a naturall fall in breeding, however a strong population will quickly recover (click to see full size).

Now well into the 21st century the future does look brighter but threats remain. Weather conditions have already been mentioned as a major problem facing barn owls these days, another is the natural decline of field vole numbers which occurs roughly every 7 years. This staple of the barn owl diet means that in those years of reduced food supply breeding numbers are seriously reduced.  We continue to work to ensure there is a good population that is able to cope with all of these natural threats.

So despite the barn owl having had special protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 the future of the barn owl in Cheshire remains difficult to predict and our work must continue.