Our favourite Owl is well known for using old farm buildings to nest and roost in, hence why they are called Barn Owls! However, as these buildings have become redundant to agricultural uses, they are often sold off and converted to new homes or businesses. We recently had an interesting case brought into the Hospital, which carries a bit of advice to it’s tale.
We received a call from someone who had found a Barn Owl flying around inside their house. They were able to catch it, put it in a box and bring it to us for assessment, where we discovered it had injuries suggesting it had flown into things in an enclosed space. Upon further discussions with the finder, it turns out that their home was a recent barn conversion, and that prior to them carrying out the work to make the building weathertight, it was a known Barn Owl breeding site.
Barn Owls are a Schedule 1 protected species, which means that their nests are legally protected from disturbance, during the breeding season. Although their breeding season can start as early as March and go through to September or October, during the colder months, Barn Owls will often roost in the same area, sometimes even using the next boxes to shelter from bad weather or stash food for a rainy night.
This Barn Owl had found it’s way into the building via a hole which had been left to install a vent, but then found itself unable to get out.
This Barn Owl was named “Wobbles” as it was a bit disorientated upon arrival. It had sustained some feather damage and some bruising to it’s wing tips, which we were able to give some pain relief for. After a couple of days in our small cages, it was moved to one of our larger aviaries, where it has more space to fly around. Unfortunately, it is still a bit reluctant to fly, so will be under observation for another week before it’s assessed again for release.
We would like to share some advice to anyone converting an old building which may have Barn Owls or other wildlife using the building. Please consider giving them an alternative space, either within or attached to the existing building, or very close by. We can offer free advice on where to locate nestboxes for Birds of Prey if you’re unsure where to begin.
The finder asked us for advice and is now building some nest boxes to provide Wobbles with a safer place to roost before it is released back in the area.