Staffordshire Wildlife Trust has appealed for people in Stone to report sightings of barn owls after a dramatic fall in the number of records being submitted.
Figures suggest there are fewer barn owls in Britain than ever before, and the trust is appealing to people in the town to report sightings of the majestic bird.
More intensive farming has led to a reduction in habitat and traditional nesting sites, such as hollow trees and derelict farm buildings. Around 80% of the UK’s barn owls now live in man-made boxes.
Monitoring carried out by Staffordshire’s Barn Owl Action Group (BOAG) found 40 breeding pairs across the county in 2015, suggesting barn owls are making a recovery after a drop in the population in 2013 following a cold, late spring. Despite this, only 19 records of barn owl sightings were sent into Staffordshire Wildlife Trust from members of the public across the county last year.
[box type=”shadow” align=”aligncenter” ]Helen Cottam of BOAG said: “Last year some pairs attempted to breed but abandoned nests and some chicks died on the nest, possibly due to a crash in the vole population, the barn owls favoured prey. We had fewer sightings reported to us in 2015 and it’s also good to remind people to contact us when barn owls are seen around in Staffordshire.
“When sending in a record of a barn owl sighting we would ask the public to make a note of the date it was seen, where it was seen (either an address, postcode or six number grid reference) and what the barn owl was doing such as hunting, flying or roosting. We would also ask the public to contact the group if they find a dead barn owl and especially if they can identify a ring number.[/box]
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[box type=”info” align=”aligncenter” ]The most familiar British owl, barn owls will often hunt during the daytime over fields and grasslands, looking for small mammals to feed on. Breeding in hollow trees, barn owls do not hoot in any way, instead making shrieking noises.
Click HERE for details of how to send in sightings[/box]
