Biggest brood of barn owls recorded near Lough Neagh
- Published
The five chicks were born near Crumlin
The biggest brood of barn owls in Northern Ireland has been recorded near Crumlin, County Antrim.
The world welcomed five chicks of the endangered species on private farmland near Lough Neagh.
The nest site, located in an abandoned outbuilding, normally produces one to two chicks per year.
Ulster Wildlife volunteer Ciaran Walsh said conservationists from across the UK and Ireland were "in total disbelief" at the new arrivals.
Biggest brood of barn owls recorded in Northern Ireland
A harsh winter and wet spring meant conditions were unfavourable for barn owls, which struggle to hunt in adverse weather.
Mr Walsh noted that the male owl in the nest site had not been able to hunt for three days.
"I decided to start leaving food down for him and he took them, and his condition started to improve," said Mr Walsh.
The nest site was on private farmland close to Lough Neagh
"The next thing, the female arrived, so between the times of bad weather, I checked the BBC website and, if there was going to be heavy rain between sunset and sunrise, I would go and put food down for them."
The supplementary feeds gave the two owls the best chance of survival, but Mr Walsh said he never expected what happened next.
"The benefit that I was looking for was the survival of the two adults, because we've only got three nest sites (for barn owls) in the north," he said.
"It would have been devastating if we lost another, so I wanted to give them the best chance of survival."
There are an estimated 30 to 50 breeding pairs in Northern Ireland, with only three known active nest sites
"When they started to breed, it was a bonus, but then I realised five chicks had appeared and I was amazed," said Mr Walsh.
"I kept counting them and then I let out a squeal - it was pure excitement.
"I cracked out a cider and shared the video of the five chicks with the other volunteers. Nobody could believe it - we were blown away."
Future flight
As barn owls are endangered, Mr Walsh said it is important to create the safest environment for them in Northern Ireland.
"There's a responsibility on me now to look after these chicks, so I've created a radius of two miles and six miles, like an arc, so whichever direction these chicks head, they should hit one of my nest boxes. This means there'll always be somewhere for them to live.
"I've also spread feed around the nest boxes for the mice, so that when the owls come, there should be a good supply of mice."
The five owlets were ringed last week under licence from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency to help monitor their progress.
Barn owl factfile
The barn owl is a 'red list' species on the island of Ireland
In Northern Ireland, barn owls are protected under wildlife legislation
It is illegal to look in barn owl nest boxes, photograph or film their nest without a special licence
Barn owls hunt at night in fairly long grass, so their feathers become waterlogged in heavy rain
They don't make nests, instead nesting in old buildings, hollow tree trunks or occasionally nest boxes
Pairs will use the same location to breed every year