Barn Owl population increasing in Offaly

THERE has been an increase in the Barn Owl population in Offaly according to County Heritage Officer Amanda Pedlow.

A survey was carried out by Bird Watch Ireland in partnership with the Heritage Office of Offaly County Council and with funding provided by the council through the National Biodiversity Action Plan.

The survey shows that the Barn Owl Population in the county is recovering after a period of extensive decline. This is the first evidence of Barn Owl population increases in the county in the last 50 years. The study found that the number of breeding pairs and the number of sites occupied by the Barn Owl have increased significantly over the last ten years in west Offaly.

''There is an awful lot of negative news on the biodiversity crisis but it is good to focus in when we get a good news story. We did a Barn Owl survey last year and the year before and for the first time, in I don't know how long, we actually had results going in the right direction for biodiversity,'' said Ms Pedlow at the March meeting of Tullamore Municipal District.

''There has been an increase in barn owls which ironically is partly due to an invasive white toothed shrew coming up through the country. It was recorded in Tipperary 10 or 15 years ago and it's breeding its way up the country and providing a great food source for the barn owls,'' she said.

Meanwhile Offaly County Council has appointed a new Biodiversity Officer.

Amanda Pedlow said there is a lot of work to be done in the biodiversity area. She said the new officer will be doing a lot of proactive work in the council and with community groups on delivering the All Ireland Pollinator Plan.