Owls about that then?
The Gloucestershire Barn Owl Centre
The barn owl is without doubt one of the most beautiful of England's birds. They are closely associated with people through their traditional use of barn lofts and church steeples as nesting sites. The species is also one of the most wide-spread of all land birds, being found on all continents except Antarctica. Unfortunately however, there has been a steep decline in Barn Owl numbers in England over the last few years.
At the Gloucestershire Barn Owl centre you can see the Barn Owls: Merlin and Luna, the Eagle owls: Mozart and Elsie, and the Buzzards: Leighton and Suzie. You can find out about these captive birds and their wild counterparts at the centre as well as about conservation work that is going on.
One reason for a decline in wild Barn Owl numbers is a loss of its fragile prey-rich habitat and natural roosting and breeding sites. These are areas of rough grassland on low-lying farmland or woodland edges and straight stretches of grasslands, particularly alongside river and ditch banks.
Barn Owls have a range of screeches and snoring sounds that are quite unique and once heard they are never forgotten.
Pictures courtesy of the Gloucestershire Barn Owl Centre
Submitted by: Catherine Thomas, 13 August 2003
