Cork barn owl population on the increase

Barn owls have been recorded in numbers not seen in County Cork in the past 50 years

The ghostly form of the barn owl, drifting silently over their hunting grounds in the dead of night, was a more common sight in the Irish countryside in generations past. The eerie screech of the barn owl, which gave rise to myths of the Banshee, was a familiar and welcomed sound in the early Spring. Picture: Mike Brown

A survey on barn owls shows that the fortunes of this iconic farmland bird appear to be changing for the better in County Cork. Barn owls were recorded in numbers not seen in the county for the past 50 years. The survey was completed by BirdWatch Ireland in partnership with Cork County Council and the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

The presence of barn owls on farms was once welcomed due to the preference of these highly efficient hunters for feeding on rats and mice — lending them the title of ‘the farmer’s friend’.