© 2008 Chrissie’s Owls              Helping Owls through Education

Sadly all our native species of Owl are in decline, this is due to a combination of things which include;

Loss of habitat. This is due to the change in farming practices and the loss or conversion of the many barns that were once used by Barn Owls and Little Owls.It is an offence to disturb nesting  owls and all owls are protected by law.

The increase in large motorways and road traffic. This is the biggest  cause of death for most of our Owls especially the Barn Owl which frequently hunts on the grass verges by the side of our roads.

Ingesting poison through the food chain. Owls live mainly on small rodents some of which will have eaten poison, this is a problem for owls living near farms where the farmer uses poison to control rats and mice.

Drowning. Water troughs, water butts and even large buckets left out for animals to drink from  can cause an owl to drown, owls have feathers that soak up water very quickly and they become waterlogged.

Electrocution. Owls sometimes collide with power lines which usually proves fatal to them.

Predators. Larger birds of prey will  take an owl, foxes and cats can also kill owls.

Starvation. Many Owls starve during the winter when prey is harder to find, they cannot hunt during very wet and windy weather as their feathers are not waterproof , also a deep covering of snow makes locating prey much harder for them. Owls need to put on weight to get into condition for the breeding season, if they cannot find enough food many owls will not breed.

SOME OF THE MANY PROBLEMS FACED BY OWLS IN THE WILD

© Photographs by Ian McGuire