'Absolutely fantastic' barn owl breeding season

Robert Salter has built a tower in his garden for barn owls to nest in

A barn owl conservationist from East Yorkshire says this year has been the second best breeding season in the area for decades.

Robert Salter, 56, from Camerton, near Hedon, has been conserving the birds for 35 years as part of East Yorkshire Barn Owl Conservation.

Over three decades, he has put up more than 350 bird boxes which he regularly monitors.

He said: "It's absolutely fantastic. This year we'll be putting a lot more young barn owls out there into the area, so in turn it will help sustain that viable population. That's what it's all about."

Mr Salter is a licensed bird ringer

Mr Salter, who is a full-time bricklayer by trade, said his fascination with barn owls began when he was a child - however it wasn't until he got his first car at 21 that he began his conservation work.

"I saw an article on the news about a guy in Lincolnshire who was putting up nest boxes for barn owls.

"I remember watching that, and a lightbulb moment went off in my head. I thought, that's what I'm going to do."

What began with five boxes in his first year has gradually increased to more than 350, which are scattered across fields and on farms in the area.

As well as monitoring and maintaining the boxes alongside farmers and landowners, Mr Salter's volunteer work also includes putting rings on owlets' legs so they can be identified.

It also helps give an indication of how many are born per year.

In 2025 so far, Mr Salter has ringed 304 owlets - compared with 95 in 2024.

He said he hoped the total for this year would be 325.

"All these young birds that are going to be going out there, pairing up, and rearing young of their own in future years. It's a really big boost for barn owls. That's why it's so important to have years like this."

Mr Salter said the increase was because of a similar increase in field vole numbers in the area, the primary food source for barn owls.

As well as barn owls, Mr Salter looks after tawny owls, little owls, and kestrels

According to The Barn Owl Trust, the successful season in East Yorkshire is not replicated across the country.

Assistant conservation officer Daniel Whitelegg said, across England, this year's breeding success has been "pretty poor" - which could be due to low food availability.

"This year was very dry, so, anecdotally, the grass didn't really get growing until well into the summer, which meant there was less food for the voles, and less food for the barn owls."

Mr Whitelegg said regional weather differences may explain the successful breeding season in East Yorkshire.

"Some places, like the north, have slightly different habitats to the south and south west", he said.

"Maybe their vole numbers were higher already coming into the start of the breeding season, so they were more resistant to the dry start of the year."

'It's my life'

Mr Salter said, for him, it goes beyond being a hobby.

"This bird has lived alongside humans since they settled in this country," he said.

"Because of that close relationship, I just feel like we owe it to barn owls to help and maintain their future populations."

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