Mark writes: Brian sent me this super photo of a super bird and it took me back to various places where I have seen Barn Owls regularly in my life – from the Somerset Levels to the North Norfolk coastal marshes.
The Barn Owl is a ‘stand and watch’ bird. I find it difficult to see one without stopping and staring, or stopping the car and staring. They are captivating in a way that even other owls aren’t (IMHO).
I don’t see Barn Owls very often these days, and definitely less often locally than I once did, but it seems as though the data suggest they are about twice as abundant now than they were 20 years ago – see here.
This image is posted at sunset – there may be a Barn Owl gliding through the countryside near you right now…
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I grew up with Barn Owls.
They nested every year in an old pigeon cote which faced the scullery where my parents used to wash eggs to send off to the Egg Marketing Board in the 1950s.
They used to perch on the gable end of our brick granary waiting their turn to fly in with food.
The chicks could vary from one to five.
Some years ago my brother Geoff and I visited the Grange in Leven where we were very pleased to find that a pair of Barn Owls were still nesting there but had moved over to the neihbouring granary as their old home had been “developed”.