Barn Owl Breeding Success

With the recent inclement weather it may feel like autumn is knocking at the door, but here in Durham we are still busy with breeding birds. On Wednesday, CEG members, with the assistance of Chris Brown from the Tees Ringing Group, ringed six young Barn Owl chicks from one of our larger nest boxes. 

The six Barn Owl chicks aged between approximately 3-4 weeks

A check on the nest boxes in July revealed three very young chicks, only a couple of days old, so you can imagine our surprise when a month later there were not three but six chicks all ready for their BTO rings (See here for more information on bird ringing). It is also worth noting that with an average clutch size of 5, having such a large brood so late in the season is very unusual. 2014, however, has been a ‘bumper’ year for Barn Owls, with the nearby Tees Ringing Group ringing over 80 chicks this year alone. Considering the low population levels of Barn Owls in the area 20 years ago and the poor breeding year Barn Owls had in 2013, we hope that this brood all successfully fledge and the adults return for another attempt next year. 

CEG members (from l-r Emily, Christine, Stuart, Naiara and Alke) all willingly spent an afternoon in some rare Durham sunshine to help with the ringing

The Barn Owl boxes were put up alongside boxes for small hole-nesting birds such as Blue Tits and Great Tits, as part of a collaborative project with Durham Prison. The prisoners produced the nest boxes which have been installed around the university woodlands as part of our efforts to enhance local biodiversity. For more information on the Barn Owl project visit the University Greenspace pages, which can be found here.

Thanks to Chris Brown and the Tees Ringing group for helping us to monitor the boxes and providing the BTO rings.