Owl in a days work for Denis and Donal
A CHANCE finding by a Fermoy farmer in his barn led to both he and a friend becoming surrogate daytime carers for a trio of young feathered siblings.
The peculiar tale of how Denis Noonan and his neighbour Donal Sheehan came to befriend a trio of white fluffy barn owl chicks will feature on an edition of RTÉ’S popular ‘Ear to the Ground’ show to be screened on Thursday, November 30.
It all began when the eagle-eyed Denis saw something moving in the corners of his shed while moving hay bales. On closer inspection, he discovered the three chicks and contacted Birdwatch Ireland.
After calling Donal for advice, the pair carefully replaced the bales and monitored the nest while the adults birds returned at night with rodents to feed their young.
John Lusby of Birdwatch said the pair were privileged to be able to get so close to the birds.
“While the barn owl is one of the most recognisable farmland birds of prey, their nocturnal habits mean that very few people ever get to see them in the wild,” he said.
“In addition to this we estimate there are just 400 pairs in Ireland. With the help of miniature satellite tracking devices we are now tracking their hunting patterns.
‘Ear to the Ground’, which will be screened on RTÉ1 at 8.30pm, will follow presenter Darragh McCullough as he visits the farm and show Denis and John as they weigh and tag the chicks.