Wildlife lovers can watch live at any time of day or night as a pair of resident barn owls nest, breed and raise their young in a nest box at Lorton Meadows nature reserve in Dorset. Last year, four chicks hatched and remarkably, all four survived to fledge in the summer. Watching these birds hatch and grow, with the help of their parents, has brought joy to tens of thousands of viewers over the past few years.
Everyone is welcome to tune in to witness first-hand intriguing barn owl behaviours, including preening, mating, and eating. The characteristic chittering, screeching, or hissing of these fascinating birds can also be heard live via the webcam stream. With the breeding season now upon us, eggs are expected to be laid soon and later, the webcam will give an insight into those special first moments of a chick’s life. Webcam followers can comment on the dedicated barn owl webcam Facebook page @DWTBarnOwlWebCam to share what they’ve seen and help build a picture of how the pair are getting on.
Dorset Wildlife Trust’s Dan Bartlett said: “It’s already very exciting to be able to view this pair at home in their nest. We are very much hoping that they will successfully breed again this year - the rougher grassland fields at Lorton Meadows provide plentiful supplies of food such as field voles to help them to rear their young. Other rough grassland sites in Dorset will also support prey for the barn owls. In Dorset, we work with farmers and advise them on how to manage grass margins and field corners to increase hunting habitat for species such as owls. Each year’s story is different, so we can’t wait to see what the barn owls have in store for webcam viewers in 2023.”
A great way for webcam viewers and wildlife lovers to help protect these majestic but declining birds in Dorset is to adopt a barn owl online through the Dorset Wildlife Trust website. The adoption pack includes a certificate and a fascinating sheet of barn owl facts, for just £15. Proceeds will help ensure barn owls across the county continue to benefit from good quality habitat, through Dorset Wildlife Trust’s conservation work on nature reserves and engagement with the local community and farmers. Barn owls hunt rodents such as voles, shrews and mice which thrive in rough grassland, but much of this habitat has been lost due to increased pressures on the countryside from development and food production, contributing to their widespread decline.
Our thanks go to Dorset-based Chartered financial planners PFM Associates for kindly sponsoring this year’s barn owl webcam once again. Streaming this very special view of barn owl family life wouldn’t be possible without their support.
Paul Stokes, Managing Director of PFM Associates, said: “PFM Associates are proud to be a corporate partner of Dorset Wildlife Trust and continue our sponsorship of the barn owl webcam. The webcam is a wonderful initiative which allows us all to view these magnificent birds in a natural and uninterrupted way and has captured the imagination of thousands for many years. As a business we understand and value the work Dorset Wildlife Trust do to champion wildlife and natural places within the area, and we are delighted to be working with them again so closely.”
Watch the barn owls live here, and adopt a barn owl for £15 here.
