Barn owl boom on grouse moor

A bumper brood of barn owls are nesting on moorland managed for grouse shooting in the Yorkshire Dales.

Six chicks were found in good health on Conistone and Grassington estate in June and were all ringed by a British Trust for Ornithology ringer, with help from headkeeper Harvey Wiggins.

Barn owl numbers have been poorly monitored in recent years, though their numbers are thought to have declined during the past century. The most recent UK survey, carried out between 1995 and 1997, estimated that there were around 4,000 pairs across the country.

Bumper brood Six barn owl chicks were found on an estate managed for grouse