Bringing back barn owls

Barn Owls have declined by at least 70% in the UK and all of the causes of this decline are man-made.
A survey in 2007 found that there were just 66 breeding pairs in Pembrokeshire.

At ROOT ZERO we aim to support the population we now have county wide.

They have been struggling for places to breed and feed due to a decrease in woodlands, and in derelict barns to breed and nest, as well as a loss of open grassland for hunting due to changing land use.

Why Do We Care?

A decrease in their numbers is a warning sign that all is not well with the wider environment. It is a warning sign that other wildlife, which depends on these habitats – such as bats, butterflies, insects, and other wildlife – may be under threat too.

Barn Owls are iconic! They’re one of Britain’s favourite birds and we must do everything we can to encourage them to thrive.

What are we doing about it?

We’ve recently begun a programme of work, carefully placing 30 Barn Owl boxes across our ROOT ZERO farms in Pembrokeshire. For each ROOT ZERO farm there will be at least 2 boxes - a place for them to breed and a second home to roost. We hope to place hundreds of boxes in the coming years.

By planting mixed grassland cover crops we are also providing a great place for them to hunt and feed.

Survey

We’ll be monitoring the up-take of the Barn Owl boxes and will be collecting information about distribution, numbers and breeding status.

We’ll report back on our findings later in the year!