The oldest wild Barn Owl ever recorded in Ireland was discovered yesterday, 11th July.
Male Barn Owl, near Castleisland, Co. Kerry, 11th July 2015 (M.O'Clery under licence from NPWS).
While monitoring and ringing at Barn Owl sites in Co. Kerry, John Lusby re-trapped this adult male Barn Owl at its' nest site near Castleisland, Co. Kerry. The bird was already ringed and, when the database was checked, it revealed that he was ringed as a nestling in July 2007 at a nest near Tralee, about 13km away.
At seven years of age, this makes it the longest lived Irish Barn Owl yet discovered.
The nest site of the veteran Barn Owl. There were four chicks within (M.O'Clery under licence from NPWS).
One of his offspring, a young male Barn Owl from the same nest, 11th July 2015 (M.O'Clery under licence from NPWS).
Nesting has been successful at this site for at least 3 of the last 4 years, and if the same male was involved each year, he has produced a minimum total of 11 chicks in that time. Not only a veteran, but a prolific one at that...
See also this post HERE about how long wild Barn Owls can live.
