Kestrel chicks feeding time

A longer clip from today of the female Kestrel attending to her hungry brood of five chicks. First, we see her covering the chicks to keep them warm, though this is becoming increasingly difficult as the ball of white fluffy feathers continues to grow.

The female Kestrel 'brooding' her five young (M.O'Clery, under licence from NPWS).

Then we see her suddenly attentive to something outside the box, presumably the male is calling her to come and get his latest catch. She calls to him, flies out, and quickly returns with a Pygmy Shrew. We see her feeding the eldest chick, but it immediately drops it. The female, ever attentive, picks it up and pulls it apart into more manageable portions. In this case, the eldest chick seems to get it all in three chunks, but judging by the full crops (the bulge under the throat), all of these chicks are faring very well and are certainly not going hungry.

Kestrel nest box on the Dingle Peninsula, Co. Kerry (M.O'Clery, under licence from NPWS). Click on the 'four arrows' symbol to see it in HD).

Finally she heads of for a brief period, possibly to hunt herself. The frequency of the female leaving the chicks alone at the nest box will increase in the coming days as they become less vulnerable, more able to regulate their own body temperature, and more hungry.

More soon.

Kestrel update - junior takes a tumble

The Kestrel chicks in a nestbox on the Dingle Peninsula are doing well, and growing fast. We're getting lots of valuable video from this nest but, for the moment, here's a quick update and a short video clip of the youngsters. 

The nest box is high in this isolated Sitka Spruce on the Dingle Peninsula, Co. Kerry (M.O'Clery).

The nest box (M.O'Clery).

The male Kestrel now only visits the nest to drop off the latest catch. 

The male Kestrel drops off another tasty morsel. The female has been feeding the chicks a Pied Wagtail fledgling. The male has brought another bird to the nest, though the species is unclear

The female is now out hunting occasionally, but also still spending extended periods 'brooding' the youngsters (sitting on them to keep them warm). It won't be too long before they are big enough to be left on their own at the nest, both parents then able to hunt for the voracious, ever-growing young Kestrels.

Kestrel nestlings - junior takes a tumble, Dingle Peninsula, Co. Kerry (M.O'Clery, under licence from NPWS).

More on this nest site soon.

The reason you don't usually see Barn Owls by day in Ireland

While searching for new Barn Owl nest sites in Co. Tipperary, one castle had been picked out as having potential. The owner had seen a 'white owl' recently, one that was "screeching it's head off" a few weeks ago. Surely a Barn Owl? It would need an evening to sit nearby, quietly watching to see what, if anything, would emerge from the castle at dusk.

At most sites, Barn Owls will wait until near dark before emerging from their carefully hidden nest sites. This evening was to be different.

Castle in Tipperary (All photos and video: M.O'Clery, under licence from NPWS).

Did an owl fly out of the castle at last light? Not quite. The 'rule of thumb' while watching for emerging Barn Owls at dusk is 'twenty minutes after sunset'. This can vary quite a bit though, so it is always a good idea to be in place to watch a potential owl site at, or before, sunset.

Yesterday, sunset was 21:25pm, but at 21:15pm a quick movement seen out of the corner of the eye saw a Barn Owl emerge from a slender chimney, on a small tower separate from the castle, and fly off quickly out of view.

However, within seconds, the local Rooks and Jackdaws which had been gathering in small, noisy flocks just before heading off to roost, spotted the owl and gathered en masse and, emboldened by sheer numbers, and daylight, chased and hounded the Barn Owl. In seconds the air around the owl was filled with about 150 crows, a posse of agitated Swallows and even an extremely brave Pied Wagtail, all chasing the unfortunate owl across the yard. The photo below captures the moment when the Barn Owl decided enough was enough, as it flew straight back to the chimney and down, safely away from the agitated mob.

Some of the assembled lynch mob follow the Barn Owl down toward the chimney, as the owl retreats to safety.

Close-up of the above photo.

And, with barely a pause, the Barn Owl descends back into the chimney and out of harms way.

Over the next twenty minutes, in the gathering darkness, everything calmed down, the crows gradually went to roost in nearby trees, the last Blackbirds and Robins stopped singing and, finally, the Barn Owl emerged once again. A quick shake, a look around, and off to hunt, without the slightest hassle from the neighbours.

The Barn Owl decides the coast is clear, the crows have gone to roost, and heads off into the night, unmolested.

Hit the 'four arrows' symbol to see the video full size.

There are reasons Irish Barn Owls aren't seen in daylight. Ireland doesn't have Short-tailed Field Voles and some other small mammals which are often active by day, and hunted by Barn Owls in daylight in Norfolk or south England. The other reason, as illustrated here, is that Ireland has an extremely high density of crows, and any Barn Owl out and about by day in Ireland will sooner or later, be mobbed by crows. Mobbing is an instinctive behaviour triggered by the presence of a predator. Hunting is impossible when hounded by a baying mob.

Have a look at the comparison below between the Irish and British populations of Jackdaws and Rooks.

The Atlas map for Jackdaw, 2007-11, showing relative abundance Bird Atlas maps.

The Atlas map for Rook, 2007-11, showing relative abundance Bird Atlas maps.

Hard for any Barn Owl to be out and about in daylight in Ireland, as this owl found.

Footage of female Kestrel brooding her chicks

The nest box mentioned in the post below now has a camera within. Here, we see the female arrive back at the nest, and quickly brood her young. She shifts about, tucking the vulnerable chicks beneath her to keep them warm.

The female Kestrel at her nest box. The four chicks are just visible in the box (M.O'Clery. Filmed under licence from NPWS).

She initially settles in what looks to be a very uncomfortable pose, sideways on, but then achieves a greater level of comfort. Kestrels are amazingly feisty parents, quickly flying to challenge any crows that enter the vicinity of the nest, and both male and female are very attentive to the chicks. The female will do all the incubating and brooding while the male provides food back at the nest, both for the chicks and the female. Later, when the chicks are a little larger, the female too will head out to hunt.

More from this nest box soon.

Video of female Kestrel brooding four chicks, Dingle Peninsula, Co. Kerry, 9th May 2017 (M.O'Clery. Filmed under licence from NPWS)

Please note - nest visits to protected species can only be done under special licence from the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

First Kestrel chicks of the year

A Kestrel nest box on the Dingle Peninsula has been in place for four years now and is looking a little battered. The Kestrels have nested in three of those four years, producing three to five chicks each year. When visited today, the box was seen to have slid forward and downwards, and the 15 degree tilt led to thoughts that there was no way the Kestrels could nest, but sure enough, they had. 

Because of the tilt of the box, all the pellet debris inside had slid to the very front of the box, and the chicks were nestled just inside the entrance, a precarious enough spot.

Kestrel nest box, Dingle Peninsula, with the chicks just visible near the front of the box (M.O'Clery. Photo taken under licence to NPWS).

Four tiny Kestrel chicks, and each only a few days old. The box was gently righted, and a few running repairs were made, then the birds were left in peace after a few quick photos. Check the blog again soon as we hope to have some nice footage of these chicks in the coming days and weeks.

Four Kestrel chicks, Dingle Peninsula, 9th May 2017 (M.O'Clery. Photo taken under licence to NPWS).

Four Kestrel chicks, Dingle Peninsula (M.O'Clery. Photo taken under licence to NPWS).

Four Kestrel chicks, Dingle Peninsula (M.O'Clery. Video taken under licence to NPWS).
Hit the 'four arrows' symbol for a full-screen view.

Request for information on Merlin and Short-eared Owl

IRD Duhallow RaptorLIFE and BirdWatch Ireland are currently conducting a survey to establish the distribution of breeding Merlin in Duhallow (E Kerry & NW Cork) and the importance of the uplands for this elusive and poorly understood raptor. 

We also hope to gather information on Short-eared Owl in Duhallow to help target survey work to determine if this species is breeding in the region. Both species are difficult to detect and occur in very low densities and therefore we would greatly appreciate any information on both species in the Duhallow area which will help us to identify the most suitable areas to focus survey work.

If possible, we would be grateful to know;

- the date (even approximate)

- the location, including grid reference (visit www.gridreference.ie to check grid reference or drop a pin on Google Maps) 

- the nature of the sighting (hunting, single bird, pair, and breeding behaviour, etc.)

All such sightings will be held in the strictest of confidence. Please send any information to this email address HERE.

Left) Merlin (Neil O’Reilly). Right) Short-eared Owl (RT Mills).

Duhallow:

A map of Duhallow is shown below. It covers most of north-west Cork, and east Kerry and the far southern border of Co. Limerick. This area includes the southern part of the Mullaghareirk Mountains, the eastern side of the Stack’s Mountains, and to the south it includes the northern edge of the Derrynasaggart Mountains, with the Boggeragh Mountains to the south-east of the area. 

The Duhallow area (click image for a closer look).

Any sightings of either species over the past ten years within or in proximity to this area would be very useful.

Merlin in Duhallow 

Previous research and monitoring of Merlin Falco columbarius in Ireland has been limited, resulting in an absence of comprehensive data on distribution, abundance and ecological requirements of the species. Evidence from the Breeding Bird Atlases suggested a moderate decline in the breeding range of the Irish population over the past 40 years. However, due to difficulties associated with detecting breeding Merlin, the Breeding Bird Atlases may not provide a true indication of the abundance, densities or distribution of the population.

In the absence of more comprehensive species specific monitoring, sufficient data on the status and ecology of Merlin necessary for the design and implementation of an effective conservation strategy is lacking. The Action Plan for Upland Birds in Ireland 2011-2020 identified significant gaps in knowledge of the Irish Merlin population, as well as the necessity to establish baseline data and conservation priorities for the species. Merlin are an Annex 1 species on the European Birds Directive 2009/147/EC (OJEU 2010), and there is a requirement to address these issues to afford the species the appropriate protection. Merlin are also one of the priority species within the RaptorLIFE project through IRD Duhallow.

Breeding Merlin populations are typically associated with upland habitat types, where they occur in low densities. In Ireland, they have a widespread but sporadic breeding distribution. Due to numerous factors associated with their nesting ecology and their discrete breeding behaviour, it is generally accepted that the Merlin are a difficult species to survey.

The recent Bird Atlas 2007–11 indicates two records of Merlin in the Duhallow uplands during the breeding season, however additional sightings have been recorded since through IRD Duhallow, as well as other independent sightings, and there are areas which are considered suitable for breeding Merlin. Although breeding has not been confirmed in Duhallow in recent years we hope to change that this season with an increased survey effort, and to gather baseline information as to the suitability of the area for Merlin.

Short-eared Owl in Duhallow

Short-eared Owl Asio flanneus is a scarce winter visitor to Duhallow, and although there were no winter records during the Atlas period (2007–11) there have been several since. For instance, at Barna Bog (see link HERE).

There have also been several reliable records of Short-eared Owl in suitable upland habitat during the 2016 nesting season which includes a suspected but unconfirmed breeding pair (see link HERE ). 

With your help we hope to increase our knowledge of both species in Duhallow this season.

Many thanks in advance,

RaptorLIFE & BirdWatch Ireland    

Summary of Barn Owl survey work, so far

Through the annual Barn Owl monitoring work undertaken by BirdWatch Ireland between 2007 and 2016, the following aspects have been achieved;

• Over 200 active Barn Owl sites were recorded in Ireland between 2007 and 2016.

• In 2016,138 sites were registered as 'active' or 'recently active'.

• Breeding success has been monitored at over 800 sites between 2008 and 2016.

45 day old Barn Owl chick ringed at a site in Co. Tipperary in June 2016 (M.O'Clery under licence from NPWS).

• Occupancy and breeding success has been monitored at over 80 sites each year.

• Over 750 owlets have been ringed throughout the country since 2008.

• A total of 74 ringing recoveries and controls have been recorded between 2008 and 2016.

• A total of 416 mortality incidents have been recorded between 2008 and 2014.

Barn Owl in Co. Kerry in July 2014 (M.O'Clery under licence from NPWS).

• Over 300 Barn Owl nest boxes have been installed, 35 of which were used for nesting in 2016.

• Over 10,000km2 have been systematically surveyed for Barn Owls to derive detailed information 
on densities and nest site availability.

• Over 1,200 sites have been assessed for the presence and suitability for Barn Owls. 

And the work continues... Lots more to come in 2017.

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.

White-tailed Eagle update available for download

White-tailed Eagle (Jacob Spinks, WikiCommons).

An up-to-date summary of the project to reintroduce the White-tailed Eagle to Ireland is now available to view and download, with thanks to its author, Allan Mee.

You can download the full PDF HERE (size is 1.4Mb, clicking the link will open a page with the PDF from which you can download).

GPS data shows Barn Owl successfully hunts along Motorway verge

Another of our GPS data loggers has recorded the flight of a female Barn Owl in Tipperary hunting successfully along the grassy verge of the M8 Motorway.

The nest site in an abandoned mansion in Co. Tipperary (M.O'Clery, under licence from NPWS).

Inside the nest, two chicks are visible at the rear of a long shaft in a wall cavity, and the backside of a third can just be seen near the top. As this nest was inaccessible, this image was taken using a special nest inspection device to record the number of young (J. Lusby, under licence from NPWS).

She initially takes off from her nest site and, as in the previous post below, hunts along ditches, hedgerows and streams, perching occasionally in trees and on telegraph poles. She hunts along the edges of gardens at one point and perches on a telegraph pole in front of a newly built house for four minutes. About 1.8km from her nest site, after seemingly failing to successfully capture prey, she focuses on the grassy verges of the M8 Cork to Dublin Motorway.

Although she flies along the grass verges, parallel to the Motorway, for about 50 metres, she soon lands on a fence, and within 35 seconds it seems she made a successful capture. We know this because she immediately starts on the return journey to her nest which lies out of sight nearly 2km away, but this time in a direct straight line and at greater speed than when she is hunting. Her return flight does not follow any of the linear features in the landscape which she would use while hunting. The round trip has taken 35 minutes.

Barn Owl hunting along the grassy verge of the M8 Motorway in Co. Tipperary (J. Lusby/M.O'Clery).

The GPS data from this site covered only a relatively small span of time, just over one night, but we can see she made a successful hunting trip to the Motorway verges during that time. Although the GPS data has captured this hunting trip in extraordinary detail, it poses further questions about how Barn Owls interact with major roads and we will be trying to better understand how important road-side verges are for foraging Barn Owls through gathering more information on their behaviour and movements, both at this site and others along the M8 motorway, which is also the route where we have recorded large numbers of juvenile Barn Owls as road casualties.

Screengrab of the point where she meets the M8, and then flies along the grassy verge for 50m. The red dots show where she perched and caught prey (J.Lusby/M.O'Clery).

Using Google StreetView we can see the exact spot where she perched and caught prey on the Motorway verge(circled). She flew directly to her nest nearly 2km away from this point (Google StreetView).

This research is funded by Transport Infrastructure Ireland, with information on the extent of Barn Owl road casualties on the M8 facilitated by Egis Lagan.

More on this very soon.

Seeking out hedgerows

As we start to look through the information generated this season from GPS data loggers fitted on Barn Owls, one of the obvious and consistent features is how foraging Barn Owls seek out linear features in the landscape, particularly hedgerows, and also features such as stream and river edges, woodland edges, and the rough grass of road-side verges. This is expected, but never before have we seen the foraging preference of Barn Owls, and the importance of hedgerows and edge habitats, in such detail.

North Kerry landscape showing typical hedgerow, woodland edge and road margins, vital foraging habitat for Barn Owls (M.O'Clery).

We can see in this video of the movements of an adult female Barn Owl from a nest site in north Kerry. On a night in late July - in this case about 45 minutes of a 75 minute foraging trip - virtually all of her time is spent hunting along these features. 

The female Barn Owl just before release, with the 

data logger just visible above her tail (J.Lusby/M.O'Clery, under licence from NPWS/BTO).

The nest site of this female Barn Owl, in a derelict cottage in north Kerry (M.O’Clery, under licence from NPWS).

With the information recorded on the GPS data logger we pick up on her journey while she is perching in a tree 500m from her nest site. She then takes off to hunt along hedgerow, pausing to perch again on trees and bushes (red dots show where the bird is stationary), and several telegraph poles, where she stops, most likely to listen for prey. The slow hunting flight (orange dots) is almost entirely along hedgerow and field edges, and, with the interior of improved fields virtually ignored, the faster direct flight (yellow dots) is mainly to cross a field to get to the next foraging area along the field boundaries.

Video of foraging flight of a female Barn Owl in north Co. Kerry. The video pauses to show the actual view of the road along which she hunted, perching on each of the telegraph poles along the road, most likely listening for prey (J.Lusby/M.O'Clery, under licence from NPWS/BTO).

More on this very soon. If you wish to be notified about updates, you can 'Subscribe to' or 'Follow' the blog using the menus on the right.

Research on Barn Owl foraging behaviour is funded by Transport Infrastructure Ireland.