By Claire Savage

As a writer, I’m a bit of a ‘night-owl’, scribbling stories into the wee hours, so perhaps this is why I’ve always been drawn to nocturnal wildlife – hedgehogs, foxes, badgers, bats and, of course, owls. In particular, the barn owl (Tyto Alba).

With their distinctive heart-shaped faces, snowy underparts and silvery-buff backs, barn owls are instantly recognisable and are much-loved throughout the UK. Also known by some as ‘the screech owl’ because of their spine-tingling calls, they fly ghostlike across the countryside and are a magical sight, if you should be so fortunate as to see one.

Although I caught a glimpse of a barn owl on the Isle of Wight once, while visiting my sister, I haven’t been lucky enough to enjoy these beautiful birds properly in the wild. There are many reasons for this, but a key one is that, although barn owl populations are now improving across the mainland UK, they are, unfortunately, still in decline in Northern Ireland, where I live. Indeed, according to Ulster Wildlife (formerly the Ulster Wildlife Trust), there are fewer than 30 breeding pairs left here, which is why this magnificent bird of prey urgently needs protecting. It’s been on the priority species list in Northern Ireland for quite some time and continues to suffer from the effects of widespread loss of habitat.

I have seen a barn owl up close and personal, however. Quite unexpectedly, this face-to-face encounter occurred while I was completing my journalism training at the North West Regional College (NWRC) in the city of Derry-Londonderry back in 2007. Part of our course involved running a weekly online newspaper called iNews and it just so happened that the week I was editor, the college held its first ever Environmental and Wildlife Awareness Day. A variety of local conservation organisations came along to chat with the students and this is how I met Mike Gibb from the World of Owls (WOOs) NI. What’s more, with him was, to my delight, a barn owl called Spangles, along with a huge European Eagle Owl called Harley, who had been rescued by the WOOs from a Belfast shed.

Volunteering with the WOOs

I quickly discovered that the WOOs was Northern Ireland’s only dedicated sanctuary for owls and species such as lizards, snakes, insects and spiders, and that they worked hard rescuing and rehabilitating animals alongside educating the public about wildlife. They did this through school visits and community events, as well as at their WOOs visitor centre in Randalstown Forest, Co Antrim.

Their primary aim, however, was to ensure the survival of the world’s owls, which involved “conservation, education, research and restoration of the wild habitat the owls need.” My attention was immediately hooked.

Used to being handled, Spangles was soon perched on my gloved hand and there we both stayed for the duration, with me chattering away about barn owls to anyone who stopped by and Mike looking on with bemusement. I wasn’t yet part of the team, but not long after that day I began volunteering with the WOOs. I’d always loved barn owls and had accumulated a certain amount of knowledge about them, but what struck me most when I finally met one in the feathered flesh was just how compact they were. For some reason, I’d expected them to be a bit bigger, although, given that Spangles was there with one of the world’s largest species of owls, it only served to emphasise the barn owl’s smaller proportions…

Given how elusive barn owls generally are and how few we have here in Northern Ireland, I treasured the experience of getting so close to one. I was also very glad to discover that people like Mike and the WOOs, which is a registered charity, existed to help these endangered birds and to rehabilitate them and other local wildlife.

My time volunteering with the WOOs meant that I experienced all aspects of looking after rescued owls, including feeding time, exercise and, of course, cleaning out enclosures and whatnot. Some of the birds accompanied Mike out and about, educating people at events and occasionally, they appeared on TV and in films. During my time at the centre, we also had a visit from Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen and his wife Jackie. They were travelling around Northern Ireland visiting places of interest for a new BBC series and the WOOs was one of their chosen stopping-off points.

Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen and wife Jackie with the WOOs team of volunteers.

Barn Owl Tales

Although I no longer volunteer with the WOOs, I really valued the time I spent there and I continue to appreciate all the great work Mike and his team does in protecting owls and other wildlife. I’ve stayed in touch with Mike and this Christmas, I co-edited a book of short stories with fellow Northern Irish author, Kelly Creighton, with all proceeds from this being donated to the WOOs NI and to the Simon Community NI. Entitled ‘Underneath the Tree’, the book features short festive fiction from writers across Northern Ireland.

Like most writers, what I’m passionate about often creeps into my work and barn owls have featured in my writing on various occasions, including a short story called ‘The Flame-Keepers’, published in The Ghastling literary journal. Meanwhile, my story for our Christmas anthology (‘The Thirteenth Hour’), focuses on a barn owl’s flight on Christmas Eve. The barn owl’s ghostly connotations, combined with that magical, otherworldly feeling that seems to arrive with the night and the early hours of the morning, definitely appeals to my imagination…

Aside from the WOOs, I also previously spent some time volunteering with Ulster Wildlife, joining a group to help out with one of its early barn owl nest-box projects. I might not have seen any barn owls, but participating in the nest-box training and going out to identify suitable locations for these – and to check a few already in place – made me feel that I was helping the barn owls in some small way.

Adopt a Barn Owl

In November this year, I was delighted to discover that Ulster Wildlife had just launched its new ‘Adopt an Animal with Ulster Wildlife’ initiative, with barn owls one of the species that members of the public can support. I signed up immediately and have also gifted another adoption to a friend for Christmas. Alongside standard donations, I think initiatives like adopting wildlife are great, as they often inspire people who might not otherwise donate to support a particular animal – either for themselves or as a gift for someone else.

While barn owls might not be flourishing in Northern Ireland right now, I’m glad there are people here who are helping them as much as they can – both in our local communities and through organisations like the WOOs and Ulster Wildlife. Hopefully, the future for these wonderful owls is already looking a little brighter.