Bob Tompkins, of the Jersey Barn Owl Conservation Group, says that checks of barn owl boxes around the Island have so far revealed 50 chicks – double the number recorded in 2016.
He said: ‘It is primarily down to two reasons. Firstly we have had a mild and comparatively dry winter, which has enabled barn owls to get out and hunt.
‘This means the birds have been able to build up their strength, so many females have come into the breeding season in very good condition.
‘Also, the mild winter has resulted in there being very good supplies of small mammals such as mice, small voles and other creatures for them to feed on.’
The Jersey Barn Owl Conservation Group maintains more than 270 boxes around the Island. These are designed to provide shelter and places to nest, as traditional roosts in farm buildings and elm trees have been increasingly lost over the past 40 years.
