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    • * Avian Flu
    • • What to Do
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    • • Orphaned Owls
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  • Adopt-an-Owl...
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    • • Overview
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  • Pellet Detectives
  • S.O.S. Events
  • We Are Hiring
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  • Photography at S.O.S.
    • • 2024 Photo Competition Results
  • Home Fun For Kids!
  • The S.O.S. Blog
  • Volunteering at S.O.S.
    • • Help Us at S.O.S. H.Q.
    • • Volunteer Hosts
    • • Corporate Volunteers
    • • Join the Owl-Reach Team!
  • Hedgehog Care
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  • S.O.S. Privacy Policy
  • Use of CCTV at S.O.S.
  • S.O.S. Safeguarding Policy
  • Menu

Suffolk Owl Sanctuary

  • Admissions & Booking
    • • Planning your visit
    • • Group Visits
    • • About your visit
    • • Meerkat Kastle
    • • Find Us
    • • Discovery Centre
    • • Download a map of S.O.S.
  • About S.O.S.
  • Making a Donation
  • Help for Injured Owls
    • * Avian Flu
    • • What to Do
    • • Injured Owls
    • • Orphaned Owls
    • • The S.O.S. Raptor Hospital
    • • Raptor Rescue Orgs.
    • • Help For Other Injured Wildlife
  • Adopt-an-Owl...
  • Saving Britain's Owls
    • • Overview
    • • Wild Owl Nestboxes
    • • Keeping Owls as Pets
    • • Owls & The Law
    • • Nest Box Scheme
  • Education at S.O.S.
    • • S.O.S. Education Department
    • • Education Visits to S.O.S.
    • • Outreach Visits
    • • Higher & Further Education
    • • School and Group Projects
    • • The SOS Shop
    • • "The Screecher" Newsletter
    • • Group Talks
  • Encounters & Experiences
    • • Gift Passes
    • • Close Encounters
    • • Owl Encounters
    • • Meerkat Encounters
    • • Armadillo Encounters
    • • Porcupine Encounters
    • • Half Day Animal Keeper
    • • Half Day Bird Keeper
    • • Keeper for the Day
    • • The WILD Club 2025
  • Pellet Detectives
  • S.O.S. Events
  • We Are Hiring
  • Raptor Factors
  • Photography at S.O.S.
    • • 2024 Photo Competition Results
  • Home Fun For Kids!
  • The S.O.S. Blog
  • Volunteering at S.O.S.
    • • Help Us at S.O.S. H.Q.
    • • Volunteer Hosts
    • • Corporate Volunteers
    • • Join the Owl-Reach Team!
  • Hedgehog Care
  • Bees, Bugs & Butterflies
  • Suffolk's Endangered Wildlife
  • Newsletter Archive
  • Legacies & Donations
  • Local Events & Places to Stay
  • Our Sponsors
  • S.O.S. Privacy Policy
  • Use of CCTV at S.O.S.
  • S.O.S. Safeguarding Policy


The Suffolk Owl Sanctuary
Stonham Barns
Pettaugh Road
Stonham Aspal IP14 6AT
e-mail:
info@owlhelp.org.uk

Tel: 03456 807 897
Option 3: General information
+ Adoptions, Courses etc.
Option 5: If you need help with an injured bird of prey

Reg. Charity No. 1086565

SOS General Manager Andy Hulme hands a donation to Roger Buxton of the Thornham Owl Project

SOS General Manager Andy Hulme hands a donation to Roger Buxton of the Thornham Owl Project

Waveney Owl Project Update

July 29, 2008

As reported in our blog earlier this year, SOS made a donation towards the purchase of nest boxes for erection throughout the Waveney Valley and Gipping Valley schemes organised by the Thornham Owl Project volunteer group.

Here one of their guiding lights, Roger Buxton, brings us up to date on progress:

“Box checking continued throughout June, with an additional two pairs of Tawny Owls fledging four chicks being found in Barn Owl boxes, making a total of fifteen Tawny chicks fledged from nine nest box sites.

There’s good news on the usage of Little Owl, in that two pairs have raised four chicks using the boxes we provided. There does appear to be a reluctance for Little Owls to use artificial nest sites, but this could be attributed to the availability of more natural nest sites in the area for this species of owl.

One of the Little Owls about to be put back into the nest after ringing

One of the Little Owls about to be put back into the nest after ringing

The checking of Barn Owl boxes continued into July. Eleven chicks and five adult birds have been ringed so far and there are a further nine sites which have eggs or very young chicks in them, which we will continue to monitor these. As in 2007, there are two pairs of owls nesting in boxes in the Gipping Valley, with the other boxes showing signs of being used as roosts.

Careful handling is required when ringing young Barn Owl chicks like this one

Careful handling is required when ringing young Barn Owl chicks like this one

The bulk of our success seems to continue in the Waveney Valley, where two of the chicks we ringed last year are now breeding adult birds. However the breeding activity of Barn Owls here does appear to be very irregular this year, with a number of nest sites being abandoned. We suspect one of the possible reasons for this may be the rather cold and wet weather conditions that prevailed through most of June, which had a detrimental effect on the breeding activity of their main diet, the Vole.

Kestrel chicks ringed so far this year total twenty from eight nest box sites, with a further four boxes which have eggs or very young chicks in - we will continue to monitor these. Boxes designed primarily for Barn Owls continue to be used successfully by Kestrels.

Stock Doves also continue to use Barn Owl boxes and so far this year eighteen chicks have been ringed.”


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