Great excitement on Friday last when one of the Duhallow Barn Owl nest boxes was checked, and two chicks were found within (see video). This box was placed in a barn in Duhallow last November by Brin McDonald and John Lusby, as part of a pilot programme, funded by IRD Duhallow. It is the first confirmed successful nest in a nest box for this project. Let's hope there will be many more.
John Lusby looks inside the box - two chicks! (Video: John Lusby). (All visits to Barn Owl nests are carried out under licence from NPWS).
Brin holds the two chicks. They are about 40 days (left bird) and 45 days old (Photo: M.O'Clery).
Part of this year's Duhallow Raptor Conservation Project will involve placing five more Barn Owl nest boxes at suitable sites in the coming autumn. Many such sites have already been identified, so hopefully this will just be the beginning of many more successful Barn Owl nest boxes.
