Barn owl numbers on a 450-acre productive arable farm in Cambridgeshire have increased thanks to 25 years of conservation efforts.
Measures to restore the species on Lark Rise, a farm owned by the Countryside Restoration Trust (CRT), has led to a boost in barn owl numbers in the county.
The sustainable farming charity has been working with the Wildlife Conservation Partnership to increase the abundance of the species.
Barn owl researcher and conservationist Colin Shawyer said barn owl numbers are now higher than the national average.
“We’ve concentrated on creating an environment for the birds to live and breed, with a focus on having enough nesting sites and sufficient rough-grassland habitat for their prey such as voles and other small mammals to thrive,” he said.
“This effort has led to three breeding pairs living on the 450-acre arable farm, with 2019 successfully producing chicks from two of the pairs.”
This is thanks to the prey-rich habitat on Lark Rise and the number nest-boxes available for the birds, he said.
The arrival of the chicks this year is especially celebrated, on the back of a below average breeding season in 2018.
Due to poor weather conditions across the UK, birds struggled to breed and for chicks to survive last year.
Mr Sawyer added: “At Lark Rise, no chicks were successfully reared, and we were concerned this would continue into this year, but thankfully the 2019 season saw much better breeding success.”
The warm weather during rearing and plentiful prey for feed has meant the breeding pairs at the farm have successfully reared chicks this year.
“The efforts by the CRT to create a habitat in which wildlife can thrive alongside a successful arable farm really showcases Lark Rise as the blueprint for the future of farming,” concludes Mr Shawyer.
The RSPB estimates that there are 4,000 breeding pairs of barn owls presently in the UK after the species suffered a significant decline in the 20th century.
