KILDARE WILDLIFE WATCH: Play your part and help monitor barn owls

Last week I hosted a peatland information stand for families celebrating Science Week 2022 and I got the opportunity to meet Betsy, the barn owl (Scréachóg reilige as Gaeilge).

Barn Owls are one of the most beautiful birds to witness in nature and to get the opportunity to experience an up close encounter was amazing. Barn Owl populations have sadly declined and according to BirdWatch Ireland they are a Red-List species of conservation concern.

Typically Barn Owls are noctural so it is rare to see them during the day. They have pale white feathers with darker feathers forming a distinctive heart-shaped face. Their flight is described as ghostly as it is so silent.

They build their nests in ruined buildings and sometimes in farm sheds, special nest boxes are also often erected to encourage the Barn Owl to nest in an area.

They feed on mammals and amphibians and the Common Frog and Greater White-tooted Shrew are favoured meals however, mice, rats and birds are also on their menu.

The female lays between four to six eggs which at matt white in colour. The eggs are incubated for up to 33 days before the young chicks emerge.

The chicks will fledge after a minimum of 54 days with barn owls living for up to four years. In Ireland they mainly populate the midlands and southern areas today and the best time to see them is dawn and dusk each day.

To help biodiversity I encourage you to become a citizen scientist. BirdWatch Ireland co-ordinate the National Barn Owl Survey. They are encouraging you to submit your observations of barn owls, nest locations, nest box locations and even potential sites where nest boxes could be erected.

They are even interested if you sadly observe a deceased barn owl.

You can submit your observations to BirdWatch Ireland through their website www.birdwatchireland.ie.

Ireland is in a biodiversity emergency and we can each play are part in helping halt the loss of biodiversity by submitting our wildlife observations.

If you come across a wildlife species that you would like help identifying contact me at [email protected].