About Us

The RUTLAND BARN OWL PROJECT was set up late in 2002 and about 40 boxes were erected across rutland, up to and over christmas 2002. Many of the boxes were occupied by barn owls very quickly, one box in only 3 days!. Unfortunately 2003 was a very poor year for barn owl breeding and only two boxes raised 6 young.

We have erected more boxes this winter and the mild winter has produced good numbers of short tailed field voles, so 2004 is turning out to be a very good year for our Barn Owls. Nest box numbers has been increased to 80 and we have to date (mid June) 12 pairs with over 70 young.

'Nest' is not really the appropriate word to use in relation to Barn Owls, since they build no nest as such, but lay their eggs on a layer of pellets which has accumulated in their roosting site. Such sites are deep spacious cavities in trees (especially Elms), dark corners of barns, churches, and old buildings, or even gaps in straw stacks. With the loss of so many elms in recent years through disease, and so many old buildings through modernisation, nest boxes provide a real opportunity for this declining species to re-establish its population in Rutland.

Barn Owls may accept a nest box readily, but use it only for roosting for as long as two years before finally breeding. There is no real design for a Barn Owl nest box - any large box is acceptable if it is at least 24x18x18 inches. For internal use (barns and old buildings) the traditional tea chest can be ideally adapted; but for external use, good quality, heavy, waterproof board must be used and water proofed.

It is also possible to site boxes in modern, prefabricated farm buildings, using battens, bolts and wire, but the need for a permanent means of access to the building for the owls is vital.

Nest boxes are erected in farm buildings or if no buildings are available then the boxes can be erected in trees in rough pasture or in fields with field margins