Yorkshire owl project success

They might be known as barn owls, but they are equally at home in nesting boxes.

Barn owls are so happy with their new riverside accommodation in West and South Yorkshire that they have now started producing families.

Nesting boxes for barn owls were set up at 16 points along the lower River Aire and River Don last year, and have proved very popular.

Thirteen of the boxes were used for roosting and nine of those for breeding in the 2009 nesting season. In all, seven families of owl chicks were successfully raised, a total of 20 chicks.

The project depends on careful management of river banks by the Environment Agency and the support and co-operation of landowners, to reduce the amount of grass mowing.