When did you last see a barn owl? Suffolk is one of the strongholds of these beautiful white owls, but they are most numerous in the east of the county, and rather scarce here in the west. However, in the parish of Bardwell there’s at least one, possibly two, breeding pairs, and they can be seen regularly around the village. They tend to avoid pure arable land, but the damp meadows alongside the Black Borne provide an ideal, vole-rich habitat.

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In eastern England the majority have always nested in trees rather than barns. The huge loss of elms in the 1970s deprived many owls of their nesting trees and this may have been one of the major factors in the owl’s decline. In a bid to boost the availability of nest sites, the Suffolk Community Barn Owl Project was founded by the Suffolk Ornithologists’ Group. The initial aim of the project was to erect nest boxes in east Suffolk, to monitor the boxes and ring the owlets.Its success and popularity has exceeded all expectations and it has now become a joint project between the Suffolk Wildlife Trust and the SOG. Close to 250 boxes have now been erected across the county, including a number on the Euston estate. Local disability groups make the project’s boxes, and there are two designs, one for erecting in trees, the other for barns. For those who would prefer to make their own boxes, detailed designs and advice are available.

The long-term aim of the project is to erect over 500 boxes in Suffolk by 2010, and thus increase the number of barn owls in the county. (There are currently thought to be between 100 and 125 pairs, but they do seem to have been under-recorded in this area.) The project also offers advice to landowners on habitat management for barn owls and aims to increase awareness of this attractive species.

If you do see a barn owl, you are asked to log your sighting on the project’s website: www.scbop.org.uk. If you would like to see a box in position, or to chat about barn owls, then please contact me through the web site administrator who will forward your message. Bardwell is a great area for owls. Not only do we have a very strong tawny owl population, little owls are numerous (the MUGA is a good place to look for them), while in August I twice saw a long-eared owl hunting the paddock in front of my house.

David Tomlinson, Forge Cottage, Bowbeck.