Rescued Arisaig barn owl possibly disorientated by plumes of wildfire smoke
A leading UK wildlife charity has said the barn owl plucked from the water at Traigh Beach near Arisaig recently could have been disorientated by plumes of smoke from recent nearby wildfires.
Last week the Lochaber Times reported how resident Bob Shirley had rescued the exhausted bird and kept it warm and dry until a member of the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) was able to visit.
Sadly, however, the barn owl had died before the SSPCA liaison officer arrived. On examining the bird she found water in its beak and said the bird most likely had water in its lungs. But she said it was impossible to know if the female owl had been disorientated by the smoke and fire and then landed in the water.
Dr Jon Mercer, chairman of Lochaber Biodiversity Action Group, thought the wildfire at Mallaig an unlikely reason for the owl’s predicament and that starvation was more likely the cause.
However, the Barn Owl Trust assistant conservation officer Dr Pip Laker is not so sure and explained that barn owls are a sedentary species, largely staying within their established home range their whole lifetime.
‘In-depth knowledge of areas containing suitable foraging habitat and safe roosting sites is vital for them, especially at this time of year when temperatures and small mammal numbers are at their lowest and therefore the threat of starvation is highest,’ she said.
‘While barn owls are mobile and should hopefully avoid any fires that arise, the smoke may disorientate birds who could then find themselves within unfamiliar areas. Smoke may also flush out roosting birds in the day which would then expose them to diurnal avian predators.
‘Furthermore, and perhaps even more concerning for barn owls, extreme weather events - freezing temperatures and snow, heatwaves and fire - will massively impact grass growth which can lead to a reduction of the barn owl’s main herbivorous prey species, field voles.
‘Having said this, there can be some benefits to species following small wildfire events.
‘Barn owls use disturbance-mediated habitats and therefore natural ecological disturbance is necessary for this species.’
A recent study into the effects of wildfires to American barn owls within the Napa Valley in California actually found an increase in nest box occupancy in areas where fires had recently burned, possibly due to the fire reducing the structure of denser habitat and so creating more suitable habitat for barn owl hunting. Dr Laker said: ‘Therefore, we are uncertain of the effects wildfires will have on barn owl foraging habitat and prey availability, however, wildfire smoke could certainly disorientate birds and flush them from their roosting sites.’
However, she also added: The barn owl found at Traigh Beach may have been disorientated by the smoke, it could also have been very weak and starving due to the seasonal low in small mammal numbers at this time of year.’