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About this guide

About 2 minute read

Hello, and welcome. This guide grew out of many years of watching Barn Owls, from evenings at the edge of a field to long stretches in front of my nest box cameras. The live streams on my YouTube channel, @BarnOwlLive, have given me a real world education in owl family life that no book can match. I have learned a huge amount from the birds themselves, and just as much from the researchers and conservation groups who have spent decades studying them. I have tried to bring the best of both together in one place, in plain English.

You do not have to read the guide from start to finish. Each chapter stands on its own, so feel free to dip into the parts that interest you. If you are brand new to owls, the first four chapters are a good place to start. If you have a nest box or a bit of land, jump straight to chapter 15. If you have found an owl in trouble, turn to the end of chapter 16. This guide is free to share, and the sharing terms and sources are on the last pages. If you watch a nest camera, chapter 17 explains what you are seeing, chapter 18 tells the story of two ringed owls, Mia and Buster, and chapter 19 helps you tell Britain's owls apart by sight and sound.

The guide focuses on Barn Owls in the UK, because that is where I watch them and where most of my readers live. Some of the details, especially on the law and on conservation, apply mainly to Britain, and rules can change, so please check the latest guidance before you act. The numbers I have used, such as sizes, weights and dates, are typical figures and averages. Real owls vary a great deal, and no two nests are quite the same.

Most of all, I hope it makes you want to go out at dusk and look for one. There is nothing quite like the first time a Barn Owl drifts silently past you in the last of the light.