Barn owl ©Danny Green, 2020Vision
Barn Owl surveys
SWT Ecology Services provides Barn Owl surveys for private homeowners, developers and multi-disciplinaries, as well as public organisations and landowners in Surrey and across the South East.
About Barn Owl surveys
Barn Owl (Tyto alba) is a bird of prey which is common throughout the UK. However, the species has suffered a significant decline in the 20th century. It is nocturnal and feeds mainly on mice, voles, shrews and some larger mammals and small birds.
Legislation
Barn Owl is protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, as amended, in England.
It listed on Schedule 1, meaning it is protected from killing, injuring or taking; take, damage or destroy a nest that is in use or being built, or taking or destroying eggs; and disturbing a barn owl while it is building a nest or is in, on or near a nest containing eggs or young.
A survey licence is therefore required to survey for barn owl.
Types of survey
Surveys commence with a desk study to understand the distribution of Barn Owl within 3km of a proposed development.
Internal inspection of buildings and trees are undertaken under a survey licence to ascertain whether the barn owl is present or likely absent.
Breeding bird survey can be used to ascertain whether barn owl is present in a woodland.
Licences
We hold the necessary survey licences to undertake surveys.
Survey Season
Barn Owl surveys can be undertaken at any time of year.
© Tom Marshall
All specialist surveys
View survey listSWT Ecology Services’ pragmatic advice has been much appreciated and their recommendations not onerous for us to fulfil. This has been invaluable for us to deliver our portfolio of projects!McCarthy & Stone