Water troughs, buckets, water butts and pools are all a huge hazard for our native owls.
As with most birds, owls use these as a source of drinking water, or somewhere to wash.
However, unlike ditches or ponds which have sloping, rough-surfaced sides, these man-made structures are deep and slippery, meaning the owl cannot often climb to safety if it comes into trouble. Owls have soft feathers which help with silent flight, however, these feathers will act like a sponge and absorb water, meaning the owl can become waterlogged and potentially drown.
Summer is generally the worst time of year for this disaster. Adult females (Barn Owls especially) can become quite soiled after weeks of incubation and brooding and will attempt to bathe in the nearest available water. Late summer and autumn will then unfortunately see the inexperienced newly fledged/branching juveniles fall prey to the very same deep water, as they don’t have the skill to manoeuvre away.
There are a few ways in which you can help reduce this hazard...please see below.
Also see here for details on how to create a floating wooden frame for a trough.
