Barn Owls in Cornwall Project

A joint project between Cornwall Bird Watching (CBWPS) and Paradise Park is providing new homes for Cornish Barn Owls and marking them with rings to monitor their progress and movements.

If you are lucky you might have seen a Barn Owl, pale with big rounded wings, flying at dusk low over rough grassland.

For these owls to thrive they need habitat with plenty of small mammals (especially voles) to eat, and a cosy place to shelter. They face many perils including traffic collisions, poisoning from rodenticides and hard winters – so need all the help they can get.

Since 2015 Paradise Park has donated £3,300 to the project.

What do they need?
We asked the Cornwall Bird Watching and Preservation Society (CBWPS) what limits the Barn Owl population in the county and it identified a lack of nest sites as a major factor.

The last Barn Owl survey in Cornwall in 2004, showed that there were between 270 and 360 pairs – most were using boxes provided for them.

As of May 2024, the group monitors over 120 Barn Owl nestboxes around the county. These are visited twice annually to monitor the breeding adults and ring the chicks prior to fledging. This allows them to monitor the success of the breeding season and also to monitor the dispersal of young birds away from their natal areas.

Cornwall Birds works with the West Cornwall Ringing Group and National Trust, monitoring nests and marking chicks with numbered rings. It is well-placed to be at the centre of work to help increase the Barn Owl population, and Paradise Park will support this work.

For the latest information on the project please visit the West Cornwall Ringing Group blog HERE

How you can help…
Nestbox Locations
If you own land in Cornwall where there is good habitat and a building, but no nest available we want you to get in touch. The most promising sites will be visited and a nestbox provided and fitted if all the necessary criteria are met.

Monitoring
If you already have nesting Barn Owls then your birds can be included in the monitoring scheme with twice-yearly visits.

For further information pick up a leaflet at Paradise Park or email cornishbarnowls@gmail.com