Why ring birds

Ringing birds generates information on their movements, productivity and survival, helping us to understand why populations are changing.  This information is important for bird conservation and identifying the many pressures faced by birds.

I first became involved in bird ringing in the 1970s as a teenager and have always had a very keen interest in all things avian.  I ‘fledged’ as a bird ringer in 1979, and have subsequently gone on to become a ringing trainer.  Although I have been on ringing expeditions in Britain and Ireland, Europe and further afield, most of my ringing over the last 40 years has been at Copeland Bird Observatory.  CBO has a long association with Ulster Wildlife and we often work in collaboration so I was delighted when, in 2014, I was approached to assist with their Barn Owl project by ringing young barn owls thought to be being raised in a nest box.  You’re kidding, right?  This was the stuff of dreams!

Barn owls and ringing

For some years, Ulster Wildlife had been putting up barn owl nest boxes in association with dedicated landowners at key locations in an effort to help the small and declining population of barn owls in Northern Ireland.  The use of barn owl nest boxes to supplement natural nest sites has been tried and tested and, if properly constructed and located, the owls will take readily to them.  It can however often take several years before owls will actually use a nest box to rear their chicks, so much of the donkey work had been done before this stage. 

Barn owls are protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife (NI) Order (1985) so a license is required from DAERA to permit any kind of disturbance at or near the nest site.  Although there might have been an argument not to allow disturbance due to their rarity, the species is well studied throughout the world and ringing of the chicks, if properly managed, can be done with minimal disturbance and negligible risk.  So, after careful consideration, DAERA granted the necessary license to allow ringing to take place. 

Our first barn owl nest site

And, in the summer of 2014, we were off!  The exact location of the nest was kept confidential for added protection but a small team travelled to the location, which had been under close observation for some weeks.  Young barn owls in the nest can be noisy and make a characteristic ‘snoring’ noise so we were pretty certain that there were youngsters present.  As the chicks grow, at around 4 weeks of age the parents generally leave them unattended through daylight hours.  But as the ladder was placed against the tree and I was tasked with climbing up and putting my hand into the box, it was a nervous moment!  A quick check revealed that ‘mummy’ was not at home (phew! – fingers safe for another while).  The first glance suggested just one chick, but after it was carefully removed from the box, another was discovered.  So we had two healthy and well-grown chicks, the first recorded breeding in a nest box in Northern Ireland and the first chicks ever to be ringed here.  The event was filmed by BBC Newsline and later broadcast. 

The most important consideration is the safety of the birds.  We developed a careful plan of approach which could have meant the attempt to ring the chicks would be abandoned if there were concerns of any kind.  Ringing was left until the brood was well grown and thus unlikely to be attended by a parent.  Middle of the day was chosen because as a nocturnal species, the chicks would be sleepy then.  And the whole experience was kept as brief as possible with minimal handling.  We joked as we put the birds back into the box that they slept through the whole experience.

Since then, this box has raised several broods over the years and the pair are still believed to be breeding in the vicinity, but at another box.  There have also been broods raised in boxes at 3 other sites and at a natural site (in a farm building), and although 2021 has been a very challenging breeding season for the species, the future is encouraging with more boxes being put up at different locations.  There has been evidence of rapid use in some locations, with pellets in a box after a few months, and another box up for less than a year used to (successfully) breed.

Challenges and rewards

Barn owls in Northern Ireland face all sorts of challenges including an abundance of prey items, extreme weather and danger from roads. Although it is early days to expect any results from the ringing that has taken place so far, one chick from 2016 was found dead in 2018 about 5 miles away from where it was born, sadly an apparent victim of traffic.  Traffic poses a significant risk to this species, as they often hunt along verges.  And in 2019, a bird (thought to be a female) was seen to have a ring as it emerged from a nest box.  Although it was not possible to read the ring number, it is tempting to speculate that it might have originated from those first broods ringed in 2014/15/16 just 10 miles away.

It has been a real privilege for me to have been involved with barn owl ringing and this important Ulster Wildlife project.  Although it could, rightly, be said that the hard hours have been put in by the landowners and the Ulster Wildlife staff, it is a special experience to be able to handle these iconic birds and to hopefully do something towards their conservation and success in our wee corner of the world.  Throughout my experiences with barn owls in Northern Ireland, I am always gripped and inspired by the hard work and dedication of the landowners fortunate enough to share their lands with the owls.  It never ceases to amaze me how many hours they devote and the lengths to which they go to secure the species’ foothold here – they are the real unsung heroes of the story.   

And finally, the tale would not be complete without thanks to the team at DAERA, who granted the licenses required to facilitate the ringing of the chicks.