In association with HSS
Joe Cooper of the Broxton Barn Owl Group in Cheshire describes recent conservation successes in restoring barn owl populations. “When our group was formed in 1992/3, there were a suspected 6 pairs in Cheshire, but in 2021, the Barn Owl Trust recorded 153 different breeding pairs across the county“ says Joe. “We helped to identify the correct sites and of course we’re delighted that the work is paying off. A Barn Owl is very selective of its nesting site. You can put an old welly on a wall and a bird of some sort will always find a home in it, but a Barn Owl is very choosy. Their criteria focuses entirely on the surrounding habitat and potential food source. A Barn Owl will nest where it knows there’ll be an abundance of rodents such as Mice, Voles and Shrews and that means hedgerows and trees rather than in a box on a pole in the middle of a field”