Two young barn owls have been born in Cornwall thanks to recent work to help encourage nesting for these protected species.

In February, National Trust rangers at Penrose installed a new nest box in an old stone barn to encourage barn owls. The work was in partnership with the Cornwall Bird Watching and Preservation Society (CBWPS), and Paradise Park, as part of the Barn Owls in Cornwall project.

In May, National Trust ranger Calum McIntosh revisited the site with licensed bird ringer Mark Grantham, chair of the CBWPS, to check for any signs of success. The results were encouraging, a female barn owl was discovered sitting on five eggs.

This July, a return visit from Calum and Mark discovered that three chicks had hatched and two had gone on to survive. 

Looking after and creating more wildlife habitats is a core part of the National Trust’s work in Cornwall.