Conservation & Ecology


Barn owls


Giving a hoot!


John O’Gaunt greenkeeper and ecologist, Steve Thompson, suggests that there’s a good deal that golf clubs can do to encourage barn owls to successfully breed


I often get asked what my favourite bird is and the answer is always the same; the silent, ghost like charismatic bird that is the barn owl. I will never forget an experience I had on


one occasion way back in 2002, early one evening, just a mile or so outside my village. I decided to go looking for a barn owl that had been seen in the area. I parked up in a lay-by and spotted the owl almost straight away quartering over a field by the side of the road. It’s easy to see why they are often the victim of traffic collisions when its hunting right by the side of the road at such a low height. I continued on foot, filming the owl with


my video camera as it pounced on some prey then flew into a tree, before continuing along the roadside back and forth for several minutes, numerous times diving for prey. I watched as other cars came past quite oblivious to the beauty of nature that was right before their eyes. I followed the owl for a while with the


camera, before driving alongside it and eventually it gained height and flew further on. After another half a mile or so, at the top of a hill, I parked in a farm track to try and relocate the owl. It was just up the road a bit further. I stood by the car filming as it flew towards me, the camera slowly pointing to the sky as the owl flew straight over my head, not a sound to be heard apart from “oh my God!” from me. An experience I will not forget. But how much do you know about this silent, ghost like flyer? The Barn Owl (Tyto alba) is one of the


most widely distributed birds in the world. The Scottish population (absent from remoter Scottish islands such as the Outer


Hebrides and the Northern Isles) is the most northern. It can be seen on all continents, apart from Antarctica - it takes a special type of feather to keep you warm there! There are lots of birds in Antarctica; they are just a lot more feathered than barn owls. It can be seen throughout the UK, avoiding only high altitude and urban areas. But the British population has been in significant decline in the last century, due to several factors - changes in agricultural practices, loss of habitat and nesting sites and collisions with road traffic. In the late eighties, there were roughly 4,500 pairs of barn owl in Britain and Ireland; a quite dramatic decline from circa 12,000 in the early 1930s. But, it’s not all bad news. Since the late


eighties, there has been a significant conservation effort to try and halt the decline of one of Britain’s most popular birds. New habitats have been created and nestboxes have been provided. With many different conservation groups helping, the species has responded well and, although there is no formal current estimate of the population, informal estimates suggest a significant increase. This bird is here to stay.


Habitat and breeding:


The barn owl is primarily a lowland bird, but can be seen up to 200m above sea level. Its habitat is tussock grassland which can be found in lots of places, including golf courses. Leaving rough, out of play areas can provide a home for many insects and small mammals. A barn owl’s breeding success is dependent on the small mammal population so, as a golf course is mainly grass, it can be


PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2017 I 93


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