A guide to Barn Owl nest boxes

The Barn Owl is a Red-listed Bird of Conservation Concern in Ireland. Declines in their populations are linked to the intensification of farming practices which have resulted in a reduction in the quality and quantity in foraging habitat as well as the loss of nest sites. Providing nest boxes for Barn Owls in areas of suitable habitat can benefit their populations and this measure has worked extremely well in Ireland, with over 150 nest boxes now used by Barn Owl throughout the country. This video provides all the information to allow you to decide whether you have a suitable location for a Barn Owl nest box and how to build, install and monitor the nest box to provide benefits to Barn Owls in your area. This video is used as a resource for farmers who wish to adopt the Barn Owl Nest Box Action as an Agri-Environment Scheme measure to ensure that nest boxes are provided to a high standard and to maximise the benefits to Barn Owls and biodiversity. Please also consult the guidance on creating and enhancing habitats for Barn Owls, which is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXet8mJ7F-8 and information on rodent control practices and risks of rodenticides to wildlife, available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0GEChppqOk A guidance document with plans and detailed instructions about how to make Barn Owl nest boxes can be found here: https://birdwatchcork.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/How-To-Make-a-Barn-Owl-Nest-Box.pdf For information specifically related to the Barn Owl Nest Box Action within the ACRES scheme, please visit here: https://assets.gov.ie/231433/c17c98a1-d360-4372-be85-e714ae8a1ffe.pdf You should not attempt to construct or install a nest box without the necessary experience and this video is aimed at farmers who have the relevant experience and as part of the Agri-environment Scheme. If you have installed a Barn Owl nest box, we would be very grateful if you registered the nest box with us (BirdWatch Ireland), which allows us to determine the number of nest boxes in place, and the number that are used by Barn Owls and where efforts may be best directed in future. You can register your nest box here: https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/f0cac6f49de44d9c9fd60ca1195b4096 This video was produced by BirdWatch Ireland and CrowCrag Productions in partnership with the Heritage Offices of Galway, Mayo, Westmeath and Kilkenny County Councils with funding provided through the National Biodiversity Action Plan Fund of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. We are grateful to Crossing the Line Films for providing footage used in this video. TIMECODES: 00:00 Introduction 01:35 Barn Owl nest box designs 04:50 How to make an interior nest box 09:28 Selecting a suitable location for an indoor nest box 10:45 Installing an indoor nest box 15:11 How to make an exterior nest box 21:35 Selecting a suitable location for an exterior nest box 23:15 Installing an exterior nest box 30:26 What to do once the nest box is in place 31:53 Credits END