Hardy barn owls survive cold snap in Cambridgeshire

[Donna]

Barn owls at a farm in Cambridgeshire are thriving despite the freezing weather.

Lark Rise Farm near Barton was home to many owls until 1962 when a harsh winter meant many of the species did not survive.

The birds returned to the area 10 years ago and gradually built up numbers.

They are hardy and have so far been dealing well with the recent cold weather, farmer and conservationist Robin Page said.

"When the cold spell hit the area I was continuously on edge. We wondered if we would lose them or would they stay," Mr Page said.

"Several of our conservation group members who visit Lark Rise Farm have seen them and I spotted one last Sunday and it was absolutely fantastic," he said.

  BBC

[MAK]

  Aren't they just gorgeous!? Thanks Donna! 

[Donna]

FOLLOWING two consecutive harsh winters in West Berkshire, volunteers in the Pang, Kennet and Lambourn valleys have been working hard to ensure that the local population barn owls will not suffer the consequences.
The 24 trained and licensed volunteers working on the Pang Valley Barn Owl Project have installed nesting boxes for the owls in places where there are suitable feeding habitats, as they say the cold weather is likely to have had an adverse effect on the population of short-tailed voles, which are the main prey species for barn owls in the Pang valley.
With their help, action has been taken to ensure the birds of prey continue to breed.
Last year the project proved successful, and the volunteers hope this year will be the same but are urging people who own suitable habitat to help find homes for nesting boxes for the birds.
One volunteer, John Dellow, from Kintbury, said: “In 2010 there were about 17 barn owl chicks that successfully fledged and left the nests (in the Pang valley).�
He said that about 50 nesting boxes have been installed in the Pang Valley so far, with more in the Kennet and Lambourn valleys.
The number of barn owls in the country is stable at 5,000 birds, but their habitats are feared to be diminishing due to modern farming practices and suitable breeding spaces are lost to property development.
Mr Dellow said: “We are becoming tidier as a nation and old trees are being removed and old barns are becoming renovated for living accommodation and it all contributes to a shortage of sites for the birds to nest.
“Farming practices has meant that the habitats of their prey have been destroyed.
“These live in rough tussocky grassland. If you look at the countryside and you see a field with wheat in it, it is no good for short-tailed voles and hence it is no good for barn owls.�
The boxes, which cost about £70, last about 5 years, after which they have to be replaced.
The boxes, however, do not only benefit barn owls, Mr Dellow said: “Stock Doves and Kestrels also often move in and from our point of view, these are quite attractive species, so we welcome them.�
People who have suitable habitat near them can call The Pang, Kennet and Lambourne Valleys Countryside Projects, which oversee the volunteers, on 0118 930 5336 to request that a box be installed.