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 Main Index
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- News
- Brief news
headlines appear here, members receive full
information via group meetings and newsletters.
- Membership
- We have reviewed and
modified the types of membership we offer. An
application form is available now as an Adobe
Acrobat file (pdf) by following this link: Membership
application
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- Types of
membership are:
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- 1. Standard
Individual Membership
- £3.00 per
year per individual
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- 2. Standard
Family Membership
- £5.00 per
year per family
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- 3. Platinum
Membership
- Open to
individuals or families to pay whatever
subscription rate plus donation they consider
appropriate (over and above the individual/family
rates)
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- 4. Membership
plus Nest Box Sponsorship
- Membership
(as above) plus sponsorship of a barn owl box.
Open to individuals or families to pay whatever
subscription they consider appropriate (but a
minimum overall subscription rate of £20 per
year). This option will give the member two
letters per year updating them on the
‘activities’ in the particular box
allocated to them. For landowner confidentiality
reasons it may not be possible to inform the
member of the exact location of the box sponsored
by them but the box allocated will be as close as
reasonably possible to their home address.
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- 5. Membership
plus Nest Box (with Camera) sponsorship As above
but the allocated box will be one which includes
one of our cameras (hence a minimum overall
subscription rate of £30 per year). Benefits are
again as above with the added bonus of receiving
letters and pictures/films of any activity in the
box twice a year.
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- 2007 was a good year
- The official
figures for 2007 are out (full Cheshire Barn Owl
report will appear on our statistics page)
showing 156 breeding pairs producing 651 young
for the county.
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- As with all
successes there is usually a down side. What we
must accept as an on-going 'side affect' of the
success of increasing the numbers of barn owls is
an increase in the number of losses/deaths of
barn owls. Road deaths (the largest 'killer' of
barn owls in the country) are a particular
problem. Please, if you have the opportunity, try
to persuade hedgerow owners
(farmers/landowners/councils etc) to leave them
to grow as tall as possible, particularly
alongside roadways. Not only does this provide
shelter and habitat for all manner of wildlife
but if forces the low-flying' barn owl up into
the air as it passes over the roads. By so doing
this reduces the risk of the barn owl being hit
by passing traffic. A comparatively simple
exercise - but a very effective one. If you
should find a dead barn owl - please Contact Us to let us know. It
is important that we determine the cause of death
plus the bird may well be ringed, in which case
we need to know.
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- All sightings
are very important to our on-going recording of
barn owl activity, so if you see or hear a barn
owl please Send a sighting
report to let us know.
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- Barn Owls Groups of
Cheshire:
- There are county &
national Biodiversity Action Plans in relation to
the conservation of barn owls and the barn owl
groups are the ground workers for these plans. So
whilst the groups cover relatively small areas
their combined efforts are of national
importance. There are barn owl groups in South
Cheshire, Broxton (effectively West Cheshire),
Wirral & Ellesmere Port, North Cheshire,
North east Cheshire, east Cheshire and ourselves
in Mid Cheshire (see Links).
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- Official Observers:
- To continue
to monitor barn owls in our area we need to
establish a full network of official observers
who report to an area co-ordinator. This role is
one of observation and does not require any
action which could amount to "disturbing a
barn owl" but it can be very rewarding.
Apart from suitable clothing, no special
equipment is required and we will give suitable
instructions.
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- Perhaps you
have heard an owl & thought it may be a barn
owl? Barn owls do not "Twit twoo", the
most common call is a raspy snoring sound and
occasionally a strident screech. Click this text to hear a
barn owl.
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- If you have
been a member for more than a year or you are
otherwise known to us and would like to be an
Official Observer then please Contact Us.
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- Nest Boxes Plans:
- Click here for nest box
plans.
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- Abandoned/Injured
Barn Owls:
Owlets that are found
seemingly abandoned should be observed from a
distance whilst expert advice is sought such as
from Lower Moss Wood Educational Reserve &
Wildlife Hospital or the RSPB. Young owls often
fall from the nest and later climb back of their
own accord. Barn owls which are found injured,
should be placed in a dark box and kept in a warm
place until veterinary advice can be sought.
(Lower Moss Wood Educational Reserve &
Wildlife Hospital can be contacted on 01565
755082).
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