Barn owl population in county giving hope to conservationists

The healthy barn owl population in the county is giving hope to conservationists and helping the farming community.

John Lusby of Birdwatch Ireland recently held an online presentation on a barn owl survey in counties Roscommon, Leitrim, and Sligo where he was able to share some of its preliminary results.

“The survey, which has gone really well, is still ongoing although coming to an end. We focused the survey during the breeding season, essentially the summer months, in order to understand their distribution in the county.” 

Mr Lusby explained that the barn owl population is experiencing a number of changes and Birdwatch Ireland wanted to get a better understanding of how the species is doing.

“To do that we relied a lot on citizen science, farmers, members of the public reporting any information to us. That helped hugely in terms of identifying areas where they are likely nesting or are present. We then followed up on that information. It was great to see the enthusiasm on the ground.” 

He said that 12 barn owl nest sites were identified in the county so far, mostly in the South Roscommon area.

“Barn owls have undergone quite a worrying decline in recent decades, from the 1960s onwards. Barn owls would have been a lot more widespread in the countryside. The reasons for that decline, which also affected the curlew and corncrake, include changes in agricultural practices, and increase use in rodenticides,” said Mr Lusby. “Things got quite serious in terms of their decline and we were quite worried.” 

Fortunately, thanks to conservation efforts such as putting up nesting boxes and reducing the use of rat poison, barn owl populations are now starting to slowly recover throughout the country, particularly in Munster.

“But one of the main reasons for barn owl population recovery is there has been huge changes in their prey species. We have a few non-native small mammals that have arrived here quite recently and have spread. In County Roscommon there are two species in particular, the greater white toothed shrew and the bank vole, that are recent arrivals. It is likely they haven’t spread around the whole county but are definitely present in the south and into mid-Roscommon. Where those species occur barn owls seem to benefit.” 

He said that the numbers of barn owls in Counties Leitrim and Sligo are much lower than in Roscommon.

Mr Lusby is encouraging people to report sightings of barn owls to Birdwatch Ireland through its website, www.birdwatchireland.ie.

“Barn owls seem to very much resonate with people, they stop you in your tracks when you see them,” he said. “They stay with people. They are also known as the ‘farmer’s friend’ and often nest in farm buildings. They really help keep the rodent population down. There are some really incredible farmers in Roscommon that we have come into contact with through the survey. They have gone to great lengths to accommodate barn owls on their farms and they love having them there as well.” 

One of the farmers who participated in the survey is South Roscommon farmer, Michael McDonnell. He explained that he has a breeding pair on his farm and that Mr Lusby and Ms Isobel Oakes, who is the main barn owl surveyor in County Roscommon, visited his farm to observe his resident barn owls.

“Isobel carried out a nighttime survey and saw the owls coming and going, and listened to see how many young were on the nest. She estimated that there might be three hatchlings,” he said and encouraged people to get involved in the survey. “We have a breeding pair resident for a number of years, maybe four or five years. I saw barn owls here possibly 50 years ago so we are delighted to see them back.” Mr McDonnell said that although work on the farm is very busy, the owls do not seem to be disturbed.

“The pair are coming and going from an old building and they have their nest in a chimney, and we’re delighted they are here. We have family members coming from as far as Canada and friends from Germany coming to look at them, and they are equally enthusiastic about them.” Mr McDonnell agreed that the owls have been brilliant for rodent control.

“When the chicks started to hunt, we noticed a very significant decrease in the rodent population this year,” he said. He added that the chicks were a little unsteady in the air at first and sometimes dropped their prey as they entered the shed “and we got a view on what they were eating, shrews and field mice and things like that.” 

He also agreed that the owls are a very special presence and that they have taken measures to encourage them. 

“They are incredible and we can’t emphasize that enough. You can’t see them and not be in better spirits.” In order to raise awareness, Mr McDonnell spoke to Birdwatch Ireland and suggested installing a webcam so that people could observe the pair from time to time.

“It would be super I think. We see them every day but for other people it might be a once in a lifetime opportunity.” 

The Roscommon Barn Owl Survey is supported by Roscommon County Council and the National Parks and Wildlife Service through the Local Biodiversity Action Fund, and both organisations were thanked for their support.