The Barn Owl Trust is a small charity working very hard to conserve one of the most beautiful birds on earth. Anyone who has ever watched a Barn Owl hunting at dusk has surely been touched by the experience but sadly these magical birds have become increasingly rare - and the reasons are all man-made. Lack of food due to intensive farming, the loss of roost and nest sites, road mortality, and a host of other factors are to blame.
The Trust was founded by a small group of volunteers who believed not only that they could reverse this decline through practical conservation work, but also that they could use people's interest in the Barn Owl to increase environmental awareness. Thus the Trust's two-pronged approach and slogan "Conserving the Barn Owl and its Environment" was born.
The Barn Owl Trust officially "hatched" on the 30th July 1988 with the arrival of its registered charity number and a donation of £25 from one of its founding Trustees. That was all it had: a number, twenty-five pounds, and a few highly committed and very active volunteers!
Although compared to other charities the Barn Owl Trust is still very small it has an impressive track record and an excellent reputation. In the early days effort was concentrated on habitat creation and boosting the number of wild Barn Owls by releasing additional birds from captivity. The Trust soon began highly detailed countywide surveys that highlighted the ongoing loss of occupied sites. This prompted a major research project looking at the effects of barn conversion on local Barn Owl populations, that in turn led to positive changes in Local Authority planning policies. Other projects have led to close working relationships with a wide range of conservation organizations.
Despite having a small team of professional staff and being consulted by government, the Barn Owl Trust is still a grass-roots voluntary organisation that prides itself on the sheer amount of practical work it does. From erecting nesting boxes to creating ideal habitats, providing quality care for casualty owls to innovative research and thought provoking educational work to specialist training for professionals - the Barn Owl Trust leads the field.
For more information please visit http://barnowltrust.org.uk
