Barn Owl Winter Sighting

A recent sighting of a barn owl on a freezing cold afternoon with frost on the ground on a wintering bird survey allowed an opportunity to enjoy nature at its finest. Even working as an ecologist, such sightings aren’t an everyday occurrence. It really was magical to watch it quartering the frozen ground in search of rodents, the grey light bringing out the ghostly white of the bird.

Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to be having a huge amount of success during the time it was in view, hopefully, its hit rate increased later on. The time of day also posed the extra risk of having a kill stolen in mid-air by kestrels, of which there were several on site. Although we recorded all bird species on site during the survey, the barn owl was undoubtedly the highlight of the day.

Barn owls are a protected species in the UK and are listed in Schedule One of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. This means that their nest sites are protected from disturbance as well as damage and destruction and surveys for nest sites can only be done under licence. Threats to barn owls include habitat loss, agricultural intensification, reduction in nesting sites, and higher mortality rates due to busy roads or periods of extreme weather. Barn owls are recorded on breeding bird and wintering bird surveys and specialist surveys are undertaken on sites where suitable nesting habitat is identified. Here at Temple, we have several ecologists with the appropriate licence required to conduct these surveys. Barn owls can benefit from mitigation measures and enhancements such as grassland habitat creation and the provision of nest boxes.