The following resulted form two days of ringing of Barn Owl chicks this week at known nest sites in Kerry.
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Nest box site, Dingle Peninsula – No birds present.
Nest box site, Dingle Peninsula – 1 chick ringed.
Old farmhouse, Dingle Peninsula – 1 adult female ringed. No chicks.
Derelict cottage near Castlemaine – 1 of 3 chicks ringed.
Derelict church near Castlemaine – No birds present.
Quarry, east Kerry – 1 adult present. No chicks
Chimney nest box, east Kerry – 2 chicks ringed.
Castle, Kerry – 2 chicks ringed.
Old cottage near Castleisland – 1 adult present. No chicks
Old farm buildings near Castleisland – 2 adults present, no chicks.
So, ten sites which so far have produced eight chicks. Well below average. Worryingly, two traditional sites seemingly had no birds present.
Quarry site in Kerry where Barn Owls are present in a small tunnel in the rock face. An adult was seen here, but it is possible that young were undetected further along the rock shaft, so a watch at dusk is still needed here to determine if there is any young here (Photo: M.O'Clery).
Two chicks fledged from this site last year, but this year only one of the adults were present and no chicks. The nest was in the chimney, though the adult was roosting in the tiny roofspace on the left of the building, accessed through a single missing slate (Photo: M.O'Clery).
