‘Farmer’s friend’ slowly returning to Westmeath countryside

BirdWatch Ireland in partnership with Westmeath County Council has undertaken a survey of Barn Owls in the county, the results of which show that the iconic farmland bird has been returning to parts of the county where it has been absent for decades.

The ghostly form of the Barn Owl, drifting silently over their hunting grounds in the dead of night, was a more common sight in the Irish countryside in generations past.

The Barn Owl's eerie screech, which gave rise to myths of the Banshee, was a familiar and welcomed sound in the early spring.

The presence of this bird on the farm, and even in the farmyard, was embraced due to the preference of these highly-efficient hunters for feeding on rats and mice, lending them the title of ‘the farmer’s friend’.

The Irish countryside is now different, and as farming practices have become more intensive, Barn Owls, like so many of our formerly widespread and common farmland birds, have suffered immensely.

In Westmeath, Barn Owls have become an increasingly rare sight and their bloodcurdling screech has vanished from many parts of the county in recent decades.

Surveys showed that Barn Owls were still present over at least half of the county in the late 1960s, but 40 years later their numbers had diminished, and their range had contracted significantly.

Now the recent survey carried out by BirdWatch Ireland, in partnership with Westmeath County Council and with the support of the National Biodiversity Action Plan Fund, provides cause for optimism and the first evidence that the fortunes of Barn Owls in the county may be changing.

The Barn Owl survey enlisted the help of farmers and the public, who reported information on Barn Owls across the county, and the survey also involved systematically checking a wide range of ruined structures, which are the typical nesting sites of the bird. This included buildings which were previously known to be occupied by Barn Owl over the last 30 years.

That provided a reliable indication of Barn Owl trends and their distribution across the county. The results were positive, as Barn Owls were recorded in more than half of the 10km squares in Westmeath.

This is a significant increase on the known breeding range of Barn Owls 10 years ago, which indicates that Barn Owl populations may be slowly recovering after a period of extensive declines.

John Lusby of BirdWatch Ireland, who co-ordinated the survey, said: “The observed increase in Barn Owl numbers in Westmeath is incredibly positive to witness, and although they are still rare and thinly distributed in the county, the fact that the population seems to be slowly recovering after declines over many decades is welcome.

“The reasons behind this change in fortunes are not fully understood, since many of the threats to Barn Owls - such as rodenticide poisoning - remain. These changes may be more related to the recent arrival of introduced small mammal species to Westmeath, which Barn Owls feed on."

“It is therefore important that we do not become complacent and that we ensure to take advantage of these short-term increases to try to secure the future of this iconic farmland bird in the county by taking measures that will benefit them and other wildlife in the long-term.

“Just as positive as observing these increases in Barn Owl numbers was how the survey was received and helped by landowners and the public, who played a huge part in increasing our understanding of Barn Owls in the county.

“We also found that many farmers have recently put up special nest boxes for Barn Owls on their land, and we visited several nest boxes in which Barn Owls nested and successfully raised young.”

Westmeath heritage officer Melanie McQuade said: “Now that the survey is complete, the next phase of the project, which is already under way, is focusing on providing nest boxes, which will be safe and secure nest sites in areas where there is suitable habitat and where Barn Owls should thrive.

“BirdWatch Ireland will once again be asking the farmers and community groups to come on board and to help with providing nest boxes and identifying suitable sites for nest boxes."

A range of conservation guidance videos were also produced through this project, to guide local landowners in helping Barn Owls and biodiversity on their farms, for example by enhancing habitat and reducing use of rodenticides.