The Lincolnshire Bird Club
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LBC/LCCP Barn Owl Project Grant
http://lbcarchive.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=17138		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  Andrew Chick [ Tue Jul 03, 2012 9:29 am ]
Post subject:  LBC/LCCP Barn Owl Project Grant
First update on the LBC/LCCP project.

We installed six nest boxes in November 2011. We checked them at the end on June 2012 and we have 4 pairs of Barn Owls and 3 pairs of kestrels.

To get ALL six boxes used in the first year of any project is exceptional.

Full details can be found at http://www.lincsbirdclub.co.uk/LCCP/index.html (And, don't forget live Barn Owl images at http://www.lincsbirdclub.co.uk/owlcam.html)

Image

Image 1. Three almost fully grown Barn Owl chicks

Image

Image 2. Three kestrel chicks

All birds ringed under licence from NE/BTO.
Author:  John Badley [ Thu Jul 05, 2012 5:02 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: LBC/LCCP Barn Owl Project Grant
By the way it isn't a good idea to encourage kestrels to nest close to wet grasslands/grazing marshes if they are being managed for breeding waders as the species is known to have the potential to significantly impact on lapwing/redshank breeding productivity. I am not aware of any evidence to suggest barn owls could have a similar affect. How you can encourage barn owls without also encouraging kestrels is a difficult one. One option is to locate the nest box close to areas of high human activity. This is what we've done at Freiston and Frampton. The Freiston box is now unsuitable for kestrels. Frampton is proving more of a challenge. We had kestrels in it last year and moved it closer to the visitor centre to put them off this year, but clearly not close enough, as they still tried (but failed). We've been lucky in that the kestrels have been hunting elsewhere, but we aren't going to take the risk long-term and will be moving the box again to dissuade them.

Cheers,

John
Author:  John Badley [ Thu Jul 05, 2012 5:39 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: LBC/LCCP Barn Owl Project Grant
Ps. doesn't 4 + 3 = 7?!
Author:  Andrew Chick [ Thu Jul 05, 2012 6:10 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: LBC/LCCP Barn Owl Project Grant
John,

One of the boxes had both a pair of barn owls and a pair of kestrels.

And, all the boxes are located within an intensive arable landscape.

Andrew
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