A family in Co. Down has recorded barn owls breeding successfully on their farm for the third year in a row.
Barn owls were once a familiar sight across farmland and are fondly known as the “farmer’s friend” for their natural pest control.
However, the loss of rough grassland, thick hedgerows and old trees for nesting, has resulted in their numbers have plummeted.
There are now fewer than 30 breeding pairs remaining in Northern Ireland.
Barn owls
The Kelly family farm in Ballyalton, Co. Down are determined to help barn owls and a host of threatened farmland species.
The farm family has been working with local nature conservation charities Ulster Wildlife and RSPB NI for many years to restore nature.
Every corner of the famer has been managed with nature in mind.
Winter bird cover has been planted to feed birds and mammals, thick hedgerows have been maintained for nesting, along with the creation of pollinator margins and species-rich meadows.
Ten barn owl nest boxes have also been erected across the farm by Ulster Wildlife to provide much-needed nesting sites.
Breeding
The family’s efforts finally reaped reward in 2023, when they welcomed their first breeding pair.
The owls have since returned every year, raising three chicks in the nest boxes installed.
Adam Kelly said the family is “very fortunate to have barn owls on our farm all year long”.
“It gives us a great sense of achievement and proves that what we are doing on the farm is working.
“As we are a cereal farm, it means there is plenty of feed for mice and rats, which in turn provides prey for barn owls and other birds of prey.
“Seeing barn owls breed here for three years running is the ultimate reward for farming with nature,” he said.
The Kelly farm is part of the County Down Farmland Bird Initiative, a group project within the Environmental Farming Scheme, facilitated by RSPB NI.
Agri-environment schemes, such as this, give farmers the tools to create and maintain vital habitats for wildlife and have been crucial to the Kellys’ success.
However, a new Farming with Nature scheme is still under development with no current support available to farmers.
Katy Bell, senior conservation officer with Ulster Wildlife, urged Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) to “prioritise the new Farming with Nature scheme as a matter of urgency”.
“Nature is in trouble across Northern Ireland, with one in nine species at risk of extinction, but farmers can be part of the solution.
“The Kelly family farm is proof that farming and wildlife can thrive together and shows what’s possible when farmers are supported to work with nature through agri-environment schemes,” she said.
Michelle Duggan, conservation officer with RSPB NI, said they were delighted to see barn owls breeding on the Kellys’ farm again.
“The farm’s seed-rich habitats provide an essential winter food source for farmland birds like the endangered yellowhammer, while also offering ideal territory for barn owls to hunt for small mammal prey.
“The rough grass margins and impressive hedgerows enhance the barn owl hunting territory even further.
“This farm shows that nature-friendly farming works when farmers have the right tools and support,” she said.
