Monty Barn Owls Bounce Back

Photo by Gerald Wales

Posted on behalf of Chris Griffiths, Montgomeryshire Barn Owl Group (MBOG)

Barn Owls seem to have bounced back in Montgomeryshire after the recent 2 hard winters. MBOG recorded 40 breeding pairs this year, up 74% on 2011. However, the wet spell around jubilee weekend greatly reduced the survival of chicks, knocking the fledging rate right down. 111 chicks were recorded fledging of which 29 were ringed along with 9 new and 7 retrap/control adults.

Many thanks to the Montgomeryshire public who emailed or phoned to report sightings of birds or possible breeding sites in the county during the past 12 months. Special thanks to Tammy Stretton at Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust (MWT) for forwarding information
reported to her at the trust and to Charlotte Owen of Environment Agency (Wales) for yet again supplying MBOG with nest boxes.

Let's hope for another mild winter and please keep all those sightings and enquiries coming in to WWW.MBOG.CO.UK

Not this year and not in Montgomeryshire but they are Barn Owls!