East Cork Barn Owl Nest Box Project

Donncha Ó Teangana, a Tralee man living for many years in East Cork, makes and installs Barn Owl nest boxes. The materials used in this project are funded by a Heritage Grant from Cork County Council and the Heritage Council. Donncha, a Teacher in Cork City, has had an interest in Barn Owls all his life. During his spare time he sources suitable nest sites by building relationships with local landowners and farmers and erects the nest boxes in the hope that Barn Owls will take up residency.

In this video produced for Heritage Week, Alan McCarthy, Barn Owl Research Officer with BirdWatch Ireland, visits some of the nest box sites to ring the owlets born in the breeding season of 2023. Modernisation of barn construction has resulted in reduction of nesting opportunities for Barn Owls. By installing nest boxes in suitable areas, Barn Owls are now beginning to nest and raise their owlets in areas where they would not have been able to nest previously, were it not for the nest boxes. Bird Watch Ireland recently announced the recording of the 100th Barn Owl nest site in County Cork, with 40 of these being in nest boxes