[feldar]

Hopefully we will get planning soon for our barn. We have talked about siting a owl nesting box or similar nest site in the barn. We have barn owls around the grounds and see them often.
Do we need to get the RSPB in or can we just put one up there and cross our fingers they nest.

[Fleecewife]

How exciting 

The RSPB would be able to give you advice about precisely where to site the nest box, and the best design for construction but you could probably work that out for yourself too.
I do hope you will keep us all up to date with how this works out

[lachlanandmarcus]

The Barn Owl Trust website is the best place for loads of info on this

http://www.barnowltrust.org.uk/

[Rosemary]

We've got a barn owl box in our barn. The cats sleep in it. Hope you have better luck.

[suziequeue]

Sounds like the barn owls are already well established in your area - lucky you :-)

Do they really need another nesting site on your barn?

I only ask because we were told that if we had barn owls nesting anywhere in our outbuildings we wouldn't have got planning for any of the building that we wanted to do around the place.

So putting a box up may end up being a bit of a curse re: future plans/ideas which you then might not be able to carry out because barn owls are there.

Sorry - sounds a bit negative 

[lachlanandmarcus]

Also altho I love barn owls my parents friends place in France has them and the noise baby barn owls make is unbelieveable apparently, so I am thinking barn owl box in suitable tree/pole rather than human occupied building. Snoring noise they make!

[jaykay]

 Lol, who'd have thought that baby owls snored 

I'm going to put a box into my field barn too - hoping to attract them, as there seem to be plenty of voles about......

[Bramblecot]

Feldar,

Did you get your barn?  And any owls?  We spent days making two boxes, went on a course about barn owls, OH  :farmer:nearly broke his neck putting the boxes up in the barn... and we got pigeons!

[feldar]

Hi Bramblecot
Would you believe it has taken us over a year to get planning for a barn! trust us to live in a anti-farming yuppy area.
So all thought s of putting up boxes were put on hold until we got the darn thing up.
But the owl is still about and we have seen her flying around so maybe soon we can get things moving for a clutch next year

[Bramblecot]

Hi Feldar,

We got planning easily for our barn - but only becuase we put it in an awkward place where it could not be seen.  It' s a real bind to access and the neighbouring farmer's reaction was ' what a b*****y stupid place for a barn!  But if we had asked for it near the house/road we would have had loads of objections too.  It is lovely when now though - my sheep maternity wing  - and pigeon loft 

[henchard]

How exciting 

The RSPB would be able to give you advice about precisely where to site the nest box,

IMHO the only advice they would give you is where to site their collecting box.

[Odin]

This could be 'old news' but of interest;-
We stopped in a guest house near Keswick 2 year ago, a working farm on National Trust Land. The NT had spent a fortune in grants on repairing old barns, up to £40,000 per barn ? For the purpose of siting Barn Owls and this farm had one which could be seen flying up and down the valley bellow.
The farm lass, our land lady, told us where to walk and look, which we did, and out came the barn owl which I must say has to be one of the most fantastic sights and experiences ever. A massive white silent bird with gold guilt edgings swooped down over my head, then our lasses and I thought it was going to carry her away. I was just frozen in my tracks, our lass ducked and the moment seemed to last for ever. Every time I see a white plastic supermarket bag blowing around I now have to look twice.

[Bramblecot]

  Old topic but an update.

Three weeks ago I saw a barn owl in the garden, and watched it 3 evenings in a row and it flew INTO THE BARN.   
Last night we were moving sheep in there and a terrible racket was coming from one of the barn owl nest boxes .
I've been down there quietly tonight and it really does sound like 'snoring'.
Now  for a happy ending.  I feel like a 6 year old.

[Fleecewife]

 

[feldar]

Well done you    We haven't got our box up yet in the barn, but the one on the tree in the wood was used last year to raise a clutch, and i've seen the owls about this year too so