Biggar Owl Group

Contact details: contact@francesca-nunn.com

I began Biggar Owl Group early in 2026-a project I'd had in mind for a couple of years when I saw that the area is not classed as being very good for barn owls.

This is in part due to the pastoral nature of the area, barn owls are particularly reliant on thatched, rough grassland for voles and shrews. However, they are also somewhat under-recorded, so we don't really know what the population is like. It's not scientific data but I see barn owls all the time, so I was curious as to the nature of our local population -where are they, how are they doing, how much habitat is there?

And the question was, how can I help barn owls (and other owl species) locally and encourage people to record their barn owl sightings, roosts and nests? Recording species helps us protect them.

I've started the group with three aims:

1. Raise awareness of the type of habitat that owls need, encourage them to implement it if they can.
2. Encourage people to record their owl sightings on the appropriate platform
3. Install nest boxes and collect data so we can assess and monitor how they are doing.

As it stands, there is no funding for the project-just good people committed to their local wildlife, with nest boxes and expertise donated by volunteers.

Nest boxes will be donated to sites that have a decent amount of habitat close by that can support breeding birds. They are free of charge if the site is suitable, but with the caveat that we have access to monitor the nests and ring the chicks. All work is carried out by licensed and therefore suitably experienced people to ensure the owls' welfare.

We're also looking to install kestrel boxes so if you think you have a good site let us know.

The type of boxes we can install at the moment are tawny owls, barn owl and kestrel. If you have barn owls, have suitable habitat for owls and would like to find out more, please contact me.