Barn Owl Box
Barn Owls in the UK nest in man made boxes than in naturally occurring barns or trees. In fact of all the old farm barns left now, only half of them have suitable cavitys or hiding place for Barn Owls.
BOPH have a selection of boxes, some installed inside old sheds and buildings, others attached at external sites, such as old trees or on the outside of suitable structures.
So what is the perfect site for a Barn Owl box?
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Each site has to look out onto open countryside suitable for the birds to hunt for small mammals.
Try and keep away from major roads. Some sites have had Barn Owl for many years without incident. When installing a new box, as the height of hedgerows and general location may not be adequately safe enough to avoid collision.
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Inside a farm barn or building that faces out onto rough grass or open countryside, graze land or water meadow. It is essential that the opening of the nest box can be seen by the owl. The Barn Owl box should be placed at approximately 4m high.
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Some old buildings offer excellent shelter but may not have the lofty height of large barns. In the right surroundings it can be successful. Placed as high as it can go then it is perfectly likely that installing a nest box will be just as successful. A large mature single tree in open countryside.
The materials of the Barn Owl box will need to be more robust than a box sheltered inside a barn in order to withstand weather and last for some years.
Barn Owl Box Example
Barn Owl Box, sited within an old calf shed. These boxes have now become significantly more valuable as less natural sites are available.