Barn owl chick numbers 'exceed expectations'

Wildlife campaigners on Teesside are celebrating a bumper year for the barn owl population.

The Tees Valley Wildlife Trust has been running a project to boost the number of birds, which has been in decline due to a loss of nesting habitats, by installing nest boxes sponsored by the public.

Volunteers have been putting rings on owlets to track their location and survival. Last year they ringed 270 chicks, so far this year they have done 541.

Colin Gibson, lead volunteer for the project said the 2026 breeding season had "exceeded all expectations", with the success being put down to a mild winter, dry summer and the specially-designed boxes.

Gibson, who has been involved with the project for the past 15 years, said: "We knew we were in for an interesting year when we found birds had reached breeding condition and started laying two to three weeks early.

"We've also seen larger clutch and brood sizes, up significantly from the long-term average of 3.0 birds per brood to 3.7 this year.

"The mild winter, dry summer and plentiful food supply of field voles and other rodents will have contributed to the success."

He added: "We are very grateful for the support we receive from the box sponsors to enable us to undertake our successful conservation work.

"By continuing and developing our nest box project, we will not only build a more optimistic future for the barn owl but hopefully reinstate the barn owl across the wider Tees Valley and northern North Yorkshire."

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