Newsletter / Blog
2011-12-18 Barn Owl success story – Netherlands
The breeding population of the Barn Owl - Tyto alba -
increased from approximately 100 pairs thirty years ago to about 3000 pairs
today. This fantastic achievement is largely due to the efforts of the Barn
Owl Protection Foundation and themany volunteers in
cooperation with farmers and citizens in the Netherlands.
According to the
mission of the Foundation, its activities are aimed at Barn Owl protection by
means of providing information and education, placing of wooden box nests and
collecting various data in order to monitor the size of the population in the Netherlands.
The rural network dedicated to Barn Owl protection managed by
the Foundation consists of about 1000 volunteers active in 16 regions
supervising more than 10,000 box nests for Barn Owls. The members of
the Foundation construct and put in place box nests, ring Barn Owls and
collect various data in order to know the structure of the Barn Owl population
as well as the behavior of individual owls better. The generated data are
stored centrally and are comprising around 30,000 records dealing with breeding
and almost 5000 ring recoveries from dead or alive individuals.
The Foundation supports the volunteers through providing box nests and
materials for data collection whenever possible.
The Foundation
publishes a newsletter annually intended for people housing box nests like
farmers. This newsletter contains information on the size of the Barn Owl
population and its breeding success as well as background information on other
owls with rural preference and other interesting facts and technical advices
concerning Barn Owl protection.
The educational aspect is taken care of via the organization of a conference
dedicated to Barn Owl protection twice yearly. Besides information on the Barn
Owl is made available via the website of the Foundation and by means of
disposition of brochures on selective topics dealing with Barn Owl protection.
The Barn Owl - Tyto alba -
is the most widely distributed species of Owl in the world, and one of the most
widespread of all birds.
Barn Owls can catch and eat
up to 1,000 mice each year. Great news in South
Africa - more and more farmers are trying to attract barn
owls to help control rodent populations in the Vineyards of the Western Cape and in Agricultural lands in South Africa.
Bird
watching
These Owls can be
seen on the following Aves Birding
Tours/Safaris/Adventures: -
Aves Arid Birding
Tour / Safari
Aves Eastern Cape Birding
Tour / Safari.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves KZN Birding
Tour / Safari.
Aves North East
Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves North West Birding Tour
. Safari.
Aves Western Cape Birding
Tour / Safari.
Aves West Coast
Birding Tour / Safari.
Aves Western Cape Birding
Day Tours /
Safari.
|