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BARN OWLS

In Northern Ireland, the barn owl's diet is thought to comprise mainly mice, pygmy shrews and small rats, but they do eat frogs and even starlings in times of scarcity.

We only have three owls in Ireland – long-eared owl, barn owl and short-eared owl. The long-eared is the one that most people see. It has a pale underside but definitely not white. The short-eared owl has an almost white underwing and could be confusing, but it usually hunts by day over wetlands and is a winter visitor from the Arctic, generally not seen in spring/summer. The barn owl is white in appearance and hunts over open farmland. Just like long-eared owl, it is seen at dusk and through the night, or at dawn (very occasionally seen during the day in summer).

The barn owl can swivel its head around to give it a 360° field of vision.
The barn owl can accurately detect prey in pitch black using its super sensitive hearing.

The barn owl is one of 12 Northern Ireland Priority Species receiving special attention through the Key Species Project , a 3-year initiative delivered by Ulster Wildlife Trust and funded by Environment and Heritage Service.

A steering group has been set up to facilitate delivery of conservation action for the barn owl, as outlined in the Species Action Plan. UWT, as lead partner, chair the group and there is representation from a wide range of organisations, and individuals, who can play a part in implementing the plan.

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National Nest Box week has started, and the Wildlife Trust is encouraging people here to provide nest boxes not just for smaller garden birds, but also for barn owls, which are one of our most endangered birds. Stephen McCauley found out more from Seamus Burns.