Join us today and help barn owls thrive
Three healthy chicks were discovered in July at Ballycruttle Farm, a nature-friendly farm outside Downpatrick, in a nest box installed by Ulster Wildlife last winter.
Barn owls are a priority species in Northern Ireland with fewer than 30 breeding pairs found here and only a handful of known nest sites, according to the local nature conservation charity. Loss of hunting habitat and nesting places, alongside rodenticide use, risks from road traffic, and wet and extreme weather, are the main threats to their survival.
Ulster Wildlife is working alongside RSPB NI, and farmers in Co. Down, to halt and reverse the decline of this iconic farmland bird.