Tythe the Barn Owl with children from Hawkshead and Levens Valley Schools, along with Kate Jordan Education Officer for Grizedale and Hilary Lange UK Conservation Officer for the World Owl Trust.

The World Owl Trust at Muncaster Castle near Ravenglass and the Forestry Commission at Grizedale Forest near Ambleside are joint partners in the Rusland Valley Barn Owl Project, which aims to improve barn owl numbers and habitat in Grizedale and the Rusland Valley.  The project is funded by the Tourism and Conservation Partnership.

As part of the project, the experts have been working with children from Hawkshead and Levens Valley Primary Schools to get them involved and teach them about the barn owl conservation work taking place on their doorstep.

The Forestry Commission and the World Owl Trust recently staged an event at The Yan, Grizedale’s forest learning centre, where the schools took part in a number of hands on activities, including art work and finding out what a barn owl eats by examining their undigested food.

Tania Crockett, People Engagement Manager for the Forestry Commission at Grizedale said:

“We’re delighted that two local primary schools joined us to take part in this exciting project.  The combination of activities worked really well, from seeing a barn owl up close to thinking in detail about its eyes and feathers and creating artwork about them.

“The highlight of the day was finding the bones from a bat in an owl pellet – fairly uncommon food for a barn owl!”

The children also got the opportunity to express what they had learnt with help from local artist Hannah Fox.  Taking inspiration from the owls, the children each made an individual piece of art from felts and other textiles.  These will all be brought together to make six striking wall hangings which will remain on exhibition in the Yan Building to inspire more people about the project.

The World Owl Trust and Forestry Commission hope that by encouraging landowners to provide nest boxes and leave some areas of rough grassland uncultivated, young owls will disperse through the valley and boost the local population.

Hilary Lange UK Conservation Officer of the World Owl Trust said:

“We are educating local children about the project, hopefully to ensure the future of the barn owl in their area.

“We now hope the children’s parents will offer new sites and manage a small area of land with barn owls in mind, to ensure there will be a future for this magnificent bird”.

More information
World Owl Trust
Forestry Commission in North West England
Muncaster Castle

Barn Owls are unable to hunt successfully when there is snow cover on the ground and after three to four weeks can die in large numbers.

More than a dozen dead birds have already been reported to National Park Rangers but it is felt that these represent only a small proportion of those likely to have died.

Barn Owl - Pic NNPA

The National Park Authority is asking people to come forward and report  any dead Barn Owls that they come across – especially ringed birds.

The information derived from rings, such as how far the birds travel and lifespan, can help experts understand more about them.

Birds should be placed in a sealed plastic bag and can be drop into a National Park Centre either at Rothbury or Twice Brewed on Hadrian’s wall.

Alternatively the information on the ring can be sent to the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO).

Since the 1950s, the Barn Owl population has suffered from the loss of hedgerows and small woodlands and the trend for turning old barns into houses.

Survey

With the disappearance of these habitats of the small mammals that are the bird’s staple diet, Barn Owl numbers crashed, reaching an all-time low in the late 1990s.

As a low-flying bird, the remaining population has been further devastated by the increase in motor traffic and trunk roads cutting across its hunting grounds.

Northumberland National Park Authority has been supporting Barn Owls through the wildlife-friendly farmers of the Coquet Valley, Redesdale, Breamish and along the Hadrian’s Wall corridor since 2004.

Volunteers survey hunting grounds, install owl boxes in viable places and monitor populations. Local experts, Brian Galloway and John Steele, who are licensed to handle this protected bird, count the chicks and ring the birds.

Anyone with Barn Owls roosting in an outbuilding who would like to try to help them in the harsh weather, might want to leave out a little animal feed or grain in an open area in the building to attract mice and hopefully make easier hunting for the birds.

Georgie the Barn Owl

One of the best-loved owls ever to wing its way into the World Owl Trust at Muncaster near Ravenglass in the Lake District has been honoured with an international award.Georgie the Barn Owl, was posthumously given the 2009 Lady Gray’l Award on the 7th of March at a ceremony in Minnesota in the United States, for contributing to the spread of knowledge about owls around the world. 

Although Georgie sadly passed away in 2003, the award means his memory will live on at the World Owl Hall of Fame in Houston, Minnesota where a special display dedicated to him has been created.

Georgie entertained over one million people at Muncaster between 1990 and 2003 and was the undoubted star of the ‘Meet the Birds’ event which takes place on the Castle lawns.

He was also an ambassador for the World Owl Trust’s efforts to raise money for owl welfare and conservation, appearing in hundreds of lectures and television appearances with Trust founder and 2007 Champion of Owls award winner Tony Warburton.

Georgie also appeared on a 19p commemorative postage stamp in 2000.

Tony Warburton, Honorary President of the World Owl Trust and Geogie.

Tony Warburton, Honorary President of the World Owl Trust, who won the Champion of Owls award in 2007, says: “Georgie was one in a million. He was a true character with a lovely personality that shone in front of audiences. ”

Set in the gardens of Muncaster Castle in the Western Lake District, the World Owl Trust has more than 150 owls from over 45 different species and sub-species, ranging from the biggest owl in the world – the European eagle owl – to the tiny pygmy and scops owls. 

About the award
The Lady Gray’l award is named in memory of the legendary Great Gray Owl Lady Gray’l which lived and worked with her equally legendary owner, Dr. Bob Nero, for 21 years.

The pair gave researchers new insights into the life of Great Grey Owls and raised money for owl research through hundreds of school visits and lectures in the United States.

The World Owl Hall of Fame was established in 2006 as part of the International Festival of Owls in the United States to bring public recognition to owls and the people who work with them.

It is judged by a panel of owl experts from four countries in the fields of research, education, rehabilitation, and conservation.