Barn Owl as Rodent Control

Barn Owl [M.Raeder-Photography]

Barn Owl as Rodent Control

In one of my recent Nature TidBits on April 24, 2014, I focused on the Monarch, a migratory butterfly, and how the extensive use of pesticides, specifically neonicotinoids [e.g. Roundup] has destroyed the monarch’s Milkweed habitat adjacent to mono-culture farms in the Midwestby 60%.  As a consequence, these beautiful butterflies have declined in numbers by 80%.  Butterflies and well as bees and other insects are pollinators and their decline directly effects the production of vegetable, fruits and nuts.  You might have heard of the devastating honey bee Colony Collapsing Disease that was identified in ~2004 and after much research and detective work, here too the neonicotinoids are the culprit.  Farmers say they need to use the pesticides to increase the yield of their crops, specifically those grown in monoculture.  Yet, 30% of our food needs to be pollinated by bees and insects to produce it.  So are we destroying the very mechanism that is necessary for food production?  There is an excellent documentary “Vanishing Bees” that tells the story of this honey bee crisis. 

Sometimes it feels there is no good news out there. 

But today I want to share two hopeful stories that show that there are ways to combat pests in a natural way:

One comes from Israel where the introduction of barn owls and kestrels has lead to the natural elimination of rodents that can destroy the harvest if unchecked.  The heavy use or rodendicites previously had almost eradicated the natural predators.  About 10 years ago, the barn owl was introduced again in Israel.  The excellent documentary “The Use of Barn Owls and Kestrels as Biological Control Agents” tells the remarkable journey to environmental-friendly farming and is very informative and worth watching.  These 2 voracious rodent predators work 24 hours a day:  the owls hunt at night and the kestrel by day and together they are eradicating thousands of crop destroying rodents!

The second story comes from the UK where 2014 turns out to be a highly successful year for the barn owls.  The British Trust for Ornithology estimates there are about 4,000 breeding pairs of barn owls in the UKhelping to naturally reduce rodents in the farming areas.

The use of Barn Owls and Kestrels as Biological Control Agent

This film won first prize in the expert and instructive films category at the Agrofilm Festival held in 2011 at Nitra, Slovakia.

This award-winning film was produced by Yuval Dax.

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Barn owl bumper brood in Cambridgeshire celebrated - UK

Conservationists are celebrating after barn owls nesting at a Cambridgeshire farm hatched twice as many chicks as this time last spring. Three pairs of birds at Lark Rise farm have produced 17 chicks in total and may have a second brood this summer. The UKbarn owl population was hit badly last year after a late spring.
[left image: Photo Credit Amir Ezer]

Vince Lea, from The Countryside Restoration Trust which runs the farm, said the brood was “the biggest ever” in the 12 years since the owls arrived.

“We had no owls in this area for a long time, then eventually they started to nest and generally we’d have about three chicks per pair each year,” he said.
“These record-breaking numbers of barn owl chicks are a direct result of the trust’s wildlife-friendly farming methods.  "The increase was “astonishing evidence of a comeback”, he added.

Meadows, grass margins and hedgerows had “helped create an ideal barn owl habitat”, Mr Lea said, as well as encouraging other wildlife including water voles – “their favorite snack” to the area.

Dead voles had been found stored in one of the three nesting boxes on the 450-acre (182 hectares) arable farm near Cambridge, which Mr Lea said was proof of an abundance of that species on the farm.

Double the number of chicks have been born at the farm compared to 2013.  But Colin Shawyer, from the Barn Owl Conservation Network, which monitors the species, said 2013 had been “an exceptionally poor breeding year”.    "Lark Rise’s brood is most definitely a sign that 2014 is going to be a good one for barn owls.   Two of the females have not gone into molt yet, which is a good sign they will attempt a second brood,” he said.

The British Trust for Ornithology estimates there are about 4,000 breeding pairs of barn owls in the UK, and lists their conservation status as “amber” indicating the species is, or has recently been, in decline.

This article was first published by BBC News Cambridgeshire.

[Ref: http://focusingonwildlife.com/]

Til next time,
Meggi