Barn owl chicks have been ringed in Purbeck for the first time to help track their movements and determine if conservation-focused farming in the area is effective. A total of 15 chicks and one adult owl were ringed at nest sites across three farmland locations.
This project is a collaboration between Birds of Poole Harbour, Carey Ringing Station, and the National Trust. Mark Singleton, Purbeck's National Trust countryside manager, stated that while barn owl numbers have significantly declined over the last century, there are encouraging signs of local recovery.
National Trust tenant farmers are managing land to support wildlife by maintaining areas of longer grass, hedgerows, and scrub. These habitats are intended to support voles and other small mammals that barn owls feed on. Monitoring ringed birds over several years will allow an assessment of these measures' effectiveness.
Kate Fox, a licensed bird ringer and ornithologist from Carey Ringing Station, explained that ringing provides scientific data that cannot be obtained through observations alone. This data helps differentiate individual birds and track their movements between nest boxes.