Boxes for Barnies

This project was delivered by the Clyde Branch of the Scottish Ornithologists' Club, and provided homes for Barn Owls in the areas surrounding Lochwinnoch.

After long-term population declines, Barn Owls have seen a recent upturn in their fortunes. It's thought that the development of artificial nest boxes, which can be installed in trees, barns or other such buildings, has been a contributor to this increase. The Garnock Connections project area is located within a lowland area identified by the Barn Owl Trust as very suitable for Barn Owls, and where the provision of nestboxes is the main priority. 

Clyde SOC worked with local volunteers, training them in how to build and install nextboxes. While initial plans called for 12 boxes, such was the enthusiasm for the project that they actually managed to create 19!

Once the boxes were in place, the next stage of the project was to monitor their usage and to upload the records onto the database of bird records: BirdTrack.

After an excellent 2020 breeding season, 2021 was unfortunately a poor breeding year for Barn Owls and only one box fledged two young (called 'owlets'). In 2022, however, three boxes were used by breeding Barn Owls, and all three boxes fledged three owlets each! Take a look at this video of the owlets, filmed by the Chair of Clyde SOC at one of the project's nest boxes.

We couldn't have delivered this work without the assistance of local landowners who, as well as taking on boxes, were provided with information on how to manage their land to benefit the owls.