In a bizarre twist of fate, two Barn Owls chicks, ringed at different nest sites in Kerry on the same day last August, were both found dead today within 5km of each other on the Tralee Bypass.
The Tralee Bypass Survey has been ongoing since August 2014 after three Barn Owls and a Long-eared Owl were found dead along the 14km route shortly after the road opened in October 2013. Since then, two more Barn Owl casualties were found during weekly survey visits, and another was found dead by the roadside two weeks ago just 300m south of the Bypass (see also this post HERE and HERE).
That Barn Owls are particularly vulnerable to collisions with vehicles on wide, fast roads is perfectly illustrated by the survey today. A close examination of the entire 14 km route revealed only two avian casualties, both Barn Owls. Most of the weekly surveys have found one or perhaps two casualties, most often Rooks or Jackdaws. Some weeks no fresh victims are found. For Barn Owls to be featuring so often in the list of casualties is cause for great concern. Though central Kerry is a stronghold of the species, seven Barn Owl deaths (that we know about) along this short stretch of road may be impacting the local population, and we are trying to find out if this is the case through the survey and monitoring work funded by Kerry County Council and the NRA.
Site of the first casualty, the dead Barn Owl in the centre foreground (all photos: Michael O'Clery).
The bird had been dead for several days and had been partly scavenged.
The ring on its leg revealed it had been ringed as a chick at a nest near Milltown on 9th August 2014, about 18km away.
The wing, though in poor condition, shows that the main flight feathers are of equal age, and the bird is therefore less than a year old.
The dead owl is just visible, centre foreground. Although most Barn Owl road casualties occur on flat or raised sections of road, this one occurred in a cutting (where the road is constructed below the level of the surrounding land). However, the wide verges and embankments have uncut grassland habitat which is ideal for small mammals, and quite possibly attracted the Barn Owl to hunt along this stretch of road.
The second Barn Owl casualty was this beautiful male, indicated by the paleness of the main flight feathers and a pure white tail. It is at the paler end of the spectrum for a male and the feathers of the wing are of a uniform age, indicating it to be less than a year old. A handsome bird indeed.
This male featured on nest box footage from last summer. See this post for more. Here's a short video clip with the male and his three siblings last July.
Four Barn Owl chicks at a nest box in near Castleisland, one of which - the bird on the left - is the male above (Filmed under licence from NPWS: M.O'Clery & J. Lusby).
This bird was ringed, the details revealing that it too was ringed on 9th August 2014 at a site near Castleisland, about 15km distant.
The bird had been killed along a stretch of road with a metal barrier and a wooden fence, about 2m (6feet) high. The road itself was slightly raised above the level of the surrounding land, by about 2m (6 ft).
If you find a dead Barn Owl along a road anywhere in Ireland, please let us know.
