BIRDWATCH Ireland is undertaking a survey of barn owls in Cork this summer and asking the public and landowners to report information on the birds of prey to help inform the survey.
Anyone who has seen a barn owl, know of a barn owl nest site, or have installed a barn owl nest box in Cork is encouraged to report this information to BirdWatch Ireland on the website.
Over recent decades, barn owl populations have suffered widespread declines and are now a red-listed Bird of Conservation Concern in Ireland.
As a top predator and sentinel species for the health of the countryside, these declines in barn owl populations cause great worry.
The intensification of agricultural practices has resulted in the loss of suitable barn owl habitats, including a reduction of prey-rich foraging habitat and nesting sites, according to Birdwatch.
‘Alongside these land use changes and the loss of habitat, the increased use and toxicity of anti-coagulant rodenticides, and the expansion of major road networks are likely to be the main factors which have driven the declines in the barn owl populations across Ireland,’ it said in a statement.
In recent years, the fortunes of barn owls appear to be turning a corner in many parts of Ireland. One of the reasons for this recovery may be due to the range expansion of non-native small mammal species, namely the greater white-toothed shrew and the bank vole, both of which are favoured prey of the barn owl and now occur through most of Co Cork.
The barn owl survey, a collaboration between BirdWatch Ireland, the BirdWatch Ireland Cork and West Cork branches, and Cork County Council, is funded by the local biodiversity action plan fund of the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
The findings of the survey will be used to ensure the protection of nest sites and to direct targeted conservation efforts which will include the provision of nest boxes.
BirdWatch Ireland stresses that barn owls are a protected species and can be very sensitive to disturbance, and that potential nest sites should never be approached or interfered with in any way.
This year, BirdWatch Ireland has launched a live stream camera from a barn owl nest site in north Cork. The pair of barn owls, who are nesting in the roof space of a derelict cottage, currently have three chicks aged six weeks old.
To view the livestream or to report barn owl sightings visit www.birdwatchireland.ie.
