The Barn Owl Group

The Barn Owl Group started it's life as Wharfedale Barn Owls, now part of our charity they are committed to supporting and expanding the Barn Owl population in Lower Wharfedale. We fundraise, recruit and coordinate volunteers to build and install Barn Owl nest boxes. More than 80% of the UK’s Barn Owls nest in artificial nest sites. Barn Owls in Britain hunt in open fields, mainly lowland farmland. The best foraging habitat is rough grassland with a high population of field voles, but intensive commercial farming has diminished this land type. We work with landowners to develop areas of grassland, increasing the food supply to support existing populations and encourage nesting in new areas. Monitoring, ringing and reporting are essential parts of a conservation effort, but so too is education. We are focused on supporting this iconic bird, but learning about Barn Owl conservation is also a portal to a deeper understanding of the natural world and the part we can play in sustaining it.