Brilliant news for barn owls in South Downs!

January 11, 2024

Six barn owl boxes and three little owl boxes have been installed in the Lower Ouse Valley, thanks to a grant from the South Downs National Park Trust.

Sussex Barn Owl Study Group (SBOSG) were successful in obtaining a grant from the Volunteer Conservation Fund, which is administered by the Trust.

The group are all volunteers who give their time to ring birds and record nests to monitor owl populations right across Sussex.

The new boxes are in addition to those already installed by the National Park Authority over the past few years. Alongside National Park rangers, the study group have been monitoring and maintaining these boxes.

Jan Knowlson, Biodiversity Officer for the National Park, said: “Barn owls are a really iconic species of our countryside.

“They’re a good indicator of the health of landscape because, as a general rule, the more barn owls we have, the healthier the eco-system is.

“Landowners have a great affinity with barn owls because a long time ago they very often had an owl loft roosting or breeding in a barn, but many of those barns have been converted or lost over the years.

“Most of the landowners are very keen to have barn owls back and put up nest boxes, but they don’t have always have the time to do it. That’s where the National Park comes in advising landowners on nesting sites and boxes, working alongside the study group in Sussex and other experts across the wider National Park.

“It’s also helps us talk to landowners about habitat for barn owls, as well as all sorts of other species such as ground nesting birds, small mammals and everything going up into the food chain, with barn owls at the top of the food chain. It’s fantastic that the study group can put up more boxes for these two owl species and we look forward to seeing the impact on population numbers!”

The Trust is the official independent charity for the National Park.

Find out more about the Volunteer Conservation Fund and apply for funding here. The deadline for applications is 31 March, 2024.