Okay for barn owns

Published: Monday, 19 July 2010

BARN OWLS are doing well on the Aire & Calder Navigation, with five broods now identified along the waterway.

British Waterways erected nesting boxes between Knottingley and Goole to help protect the threatened species, Alan Tilbury tells us, with the boxes recently inspected.

The aim of the scheme has been to provide additional nesting options for the barn owls as traditional haunts disappear in order to preserve their population.

Carry out maintenance

Because barn owls are a protected species, British Waterways work alongside The Wildlife Conservation Partnership to carry out annual maintenance and monitoring.

Phillippa Baron, senior ecologist for British Waterways, explained:

"Owls face a number of threats including the cutting down of trees, the destruction of natural grasslands and barn conversions, so it's really important we protect them. We also found some nesting kestrels so the scheme is clearly working well which is really satisfying."

Colin Shawyer, of the Wildlife Conservation Partnership added:

"We are delighted that British Waterways are involved with us in a national project to secure the recovery of Britain's barn owl population alongside canals and other waterways."