North West Norfolk Ringing Group Barn Owl
Project.
Barn Owls are Red Data Listed and specially
protected under Schedule1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
All of our team working on monitoring and ringing hold the necessary
licences.
The group Project on Barn Owls gained
momentum in 2002 when we realised that although this enigmatic species
was abundant in Norfolk, very little was known about the numbers of
pairs that actually bred in the county.
Information gained from Norfolk Bird and
Mammal Reports reported the number of pairs as follows:
|
Year
|
No
breeding pairs
|
|
1994
|
19
|
|
1995
|
26
|
|
1996
|
59
|
|
1997
|
22
|
|
1998
|
32
|
|
1999
|
48
|
|
2000
|
34
|
|
2001
|
42
|
|
Source
Norfolk Bird & Mammal Report
|
Between 1991 to 2001 very few Barn Owls
were being ringed in Norfolk:
|
Year
|
NWNRG
|
Others
|
Norfolk Total ringed
|
|
1991
|
1
|
44
|
45
|
|
1992
|
1
|
48
|
49
|
|
1993
|
3
|
106
|
109
|
|
1994
|
2
|
62
|
64
|
|
1995
|
5
|
22
|
27
|
|
1996
|
10
|
91
|
101
|
|
1997
|
24
|
24
|
48
|
|
1998
|
29
|
33
|
62
|
|
1999
|
34
|
45
|
79
|
|
2000
|
53
|
33
|
86
|
|
2001
|
32
|
7
|
39
|
Norfolk Barn
Owls ringed Annually 1991-2001
|
The North West Norfolk RG Barn Owl
Project began in earnest in 2002 when we began to concentrate our
efforts by contacting farmers and landowners with the objective of
installing nest boxes at suitable locations.
In many instances it was obvious that Barn
Owls were using some of these barns and buildings for roosting but
lacked a nest site, other sites appeared promising for owls but no
owls appeared to be using them. In both cases permission was obtained
to install a box or boxes. During this time we came across places
where a nest box already existed, but nobody was monitoring them and
we got permission from the site owner or farmer to monitor these as
well. We subsequently learned that many of these boxes had been
installed by the Hawk and
Owl Trust or by Richard Brooks and so we contacted them and they
agreed that we should monitor these boxes and ring the chicks
annually.
The number of sites grew rapidly and
currently we monitor over 400 potential nest sites:
|
Year
|
No
Sites
|
Active
|
Potentially
Active
|
Unoccupied
|
|
2001
|
37
|
17
|
10
|
10
|
|
2002
|
65
|
47
|
0
|
18
|
|
2003
|
197
|
71
|
30
|
96
|
|
2004
|
269
|
93
|
10
|
166
|
|
2005
|
320
|
153
|
8
|
159
|
|
2006
|
409
|
158
|
31
|
220
|
|
2007
|
432
|
235
|
14
|
183
|
|
2008
|
432
|
158
|
31
|
243
|
|
2009
|
434
|
188
|
34
|
212
|
In 1985 Colin Shawyer estimated the Norfolk
population to be about 190 breeding pairs. (Shawyer C. 1987. The
Barn Owl in the British Isles – its Past, Present and Future. The
Hawk Trust, London.)
Today through collaboration with other
Norfolk Ringers and exchange of information we know of at least 340
breeding pairs and this figure does not include pairs that we know of
but cannot access because permission to monitor is denied or because
they are breeding in an inaccessible natural site.
Nearly all Barn Owls now breed in nest
boxes that have been provided for them.
Distribution Map of Potential
Barn Owl nest sites monitored by North West Norfolk Ringing Group.
Numbers of Barn Owls ringed annually.
The numbers of Barn Owls that we ring every
year has also continued to rise although some years are better than
others:
Number ringed Annually
2002-2009
|
| Year |
Other Norfolk Ringers
|
NWNRG |
% of Total
|
Total |
|
2002
|
152
|
142
|
48.3
|
294
|
|
2003
|
73
|
165
|
69.3
|
238
|
|
2004
|
184
|
215
|
53.9
|
399
|
|
2005
|
274
|
440
|
61.6
|
714
|
|
2006
|
294
|
332
|
53.0
|
626
|
|
2007
|
303
|
654
|
68.4
|
956
|
|
2008
|
235
|
289
|
55.2
|
524
|
|
2009
|
265
|
397
|
59.9
|
662
|
|
Data Source for other Norfolk ringers:
Allan Hale
|
Since 2003 North West Norfolk Ringing Group have
ringed over 50% of all the Barn Owls that were ringed in Norfolk.
When comparisons are made between the years
2001 and 2007 which was a bumper year, of the number of Barn Owls that
were ringed:
|
Year
|
NWNRG
|
Others
|
Norfolk Total ringed
|
|
2001
|
32
|
7
|
39
|
|
2007
|
654
|
303
|
956
|
And the number of breeding pairs that are
currently being monitored by us:
|
Number of breeding and
non breeding pairs or single bird occupancy 2009 |
|
|
Breeding |
Non
Breeding |
|
NWNRG
|
188
|
35
|
|
Other Norfolk ringers
|
87
|
29
|
Total
|
275
|
64
|
Potential no. Pairs
|
339
|
The huge contribution to our understanding of
Barn Owls in Norfolk by North West Norfolk RG becomes apparent.
