Wings of desire

12:09pm Saturday 2nd August 2008

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CHARLOTTE PERCIVAL learns what we can do to help some of our most beautiful birds or prey.

WILDLIFE artist Robert Fuller props his ladder against a sturdy oak tree, and steadies himself against the wind.

A few branches up, a barn owl emerges from a stained wooden nesting box and, startled by the noise, flies silently away.

Her mate is close behind, but finds time to deposit his calling card on our photographer as he leaves.

“That’s birds for you; they’re very unpredictable,” laughs Robert, reaching into the nest.

He brings two small, snowy white chicks down the ladder with him, and sets them on the ground.

These babies are five weeks old and covered in white down, with hints of their familiar sandy, golden colouring appearing underneath.

They hatched in a wooden box built by Robert and fixed high up the oak tree in a grassy valley near Thixendale, and will probably return to it year on year.

Robert, who lives in his art gallery and farmhouse in Fotherdale Farm, Thixendale, dedicates weeks to making and installing these boxes throughout the Wolds, and with the help of the Wolds Barn Owl Group, has installed more than 150 around the region.

Across Britain, the barn owl population has declined tremendously since the 1930s, but because of rigorous conservation programmes, they are happily on the up again.

“Barn owls have had problems from all angles,” explains Robert. “A lot of their habitats have changed because there are bigger fields these days and different faming methods.

“The old traditional brick farm buildings they liked to nest in are no longer used for agriculture and a lot of them have been converted, knocked down or fallen down, so it’s important to provide them with an alternative nesting site.

“Dutch Elm disease has been a big problem as well. The elm trees were often important as they had good hollows for owls to nest in, but now all those trees have fallen down and rotted away.

“The landscape has changed too. Fields have got much larger, and large arable fields don’t really have any feeding opportunities for owls, because there are no voles and mice, which owls need to feed on.”

Wet winters can be problematic too, because owls can’t get out and hunt.

Barn owls’ wings beat silently thanks to a layer of soft down, but because the down is prone to getting wet and waterlogged, it can be difficult for them to fly, while landing in wet fields will saturate their wings.

Long periods of rain mean it is not unusual for whole clusters to die, and many were found dead throughout the wet weather last year.

Conservation programmes, such as the Wolds Barn Owl Group, have given a helping hand to barn owls, but it is tiring work.

Robert, his wife, Victoria and the other members of the group, spend a lot of time checking and monitoring the boxes, to ensure all is as it should be.

“I generally go behind the box and give it a tap and the barn owls fly away,” he said.

“They hear something but don’t necessarily hear what was disturbing them so fly away and come back a little bit later on. I’m always careful and I tend to do it in the evening when naturally, a lot of the time they’re out hunting.”

According to fossil records, barn owls appeared on earth about two million years ago. As a species, it is about 40 times as old as modern man, and their remains have been found in both Roman and Iron Age villages. After the Second World War, the population of barn owls fell sharply, as populations of rodents were wiped out by harmful chemicals used in agriculture.

These days people are much more aware of their needs, and are encouraging them to nest in safety.

The chicks we have seen today, like many others, will stay with their parents for about another month, learning to pounce, fly and land, before starting to catch their own prey, at about 11 weeks old.

Robert has found 40 chicks nesting in the boxes this year and, with another 50 boxes still to check, expects to double it.

It is hard work, he admits, but worth every second to find a family.

“I’ve made that box and put it up and it’s full of chicks,” he says, proudly. “When you go to check it and find it full of babies it does give you a great feeling, because you’ve done something to help them.”

How you can help...

Make a barn owl box from an old tea chest or wooden pallet, but if you are fixing it outside, make sure it is strong.

You could also leave grass uncut to create an ideal habitat for field voles.

INSIDE:

Fixing your box inside means it is insulated and protected from the worst of the weather. Farm buildings offer readily available prey and a safe place for male birds to roost, but make sure the box is out of reach to keep the owls safe from predators and that there is clear and permanent access on to open countryside.

OUTSIDE:

Choose a healthy and mature isolated tree with an open flight path, at least 100m from woodland to prevent competition from the larger tawny owl.

The box should be at least three metres from the ground and angled forward a fraction so that water can easily drain through the drainage holes.

Nearby branches are also important for fledging chicks to practice on.

SPONSOR A BOX:

£35 can buy a valuable home for a family of barn owls for years to come, through The Wolds Barn Owl Group.

* For more information, phone the gallery on 01759 368355, email mail@robertfuller.com or log on to www.robertefuller.com