Veteran Barn Owl lives on

The oldest wild Barn Owl recorded in Ireland so far is alive and well, and looks set to nest once again in his nest box near Tralee, Co. Kerry.

 Ireland's oldest Barn Owl, Tralee, Co. Kerry, 27th March 2017 (M.O'Clery).

By carefully looking into the stone barn, it was possible to see him once again perched by the entrance to his nest box. In one photo, you can see the ring on his leg, and the plumage features, especially the amount of white around the sides of the head, and overall 'frosty' coloration, shows it to be the same bird as last year. You can read more about his life history, and the interesting history of this nest site HERE and HERE.

Barn Owl, Tralee, Co. Kerry, 27th March 2017 (M.O'Clery). The ring is visible on the right leg.

He is now almost nine year old.

Free Raptor workbooks for kids

BirdWatch Ireland has teamed up with Galway, Clare and Tipperary County Councils, with support from the Heritage Council and LA21 (Galway), to develop a range of education initiatives for primary schools, aimed at increasing awareness and connection with the local environment through learning about local raptor populations.

Two fun Raptors! booklets are available for free download, full of insights, information, puzzles and quizzes. One is aimed at First to Third Classes, the other for Fourth to Sixth Class pupils. Have a look and spread the word!!

You can view and download the two booklets on this BirdWatch Ireland webpage HERE.