Owls

jozi

Is there any where in Ireland that keeps owls?

My mother is obsessed with them, pictures on facebook, clothing, ear rings, little souvenirs etc. And I thought maybe it would be a nice Christmas gift to her if we could take her some place that keeps owls so she can get up close and personal (as much is possible).

We're in Cavan but I'd drive across the country if it made her happy (been a though year for her).

OpenYourEyes

This place isn't too far away from Cavan: Eagle's Flying

They have a good few Owls, and other birds of prey. The guy who runs it seems very nice and they put on a good show. I'm sure your mother would enjoy it.

jozi

Were going to Sligo for Christmas so it's more or less on the way there, will give them a call tomorrow see what they can do.

RWD

theres one for sale on donedeal for 160 euro

Pretzill

jozi wrote: »

Were going to Sligo for Christmas so it's more or less on the way there, will give them a call tomorrow see what they can do.

AFAIK Eagles Flying only open to the public from Easter to November - but really worth a visit they have a fantastic aerial show.

OpenYourEyes

Pretzill wrote: »

AFAIK Eagles Flying only open to the public from Easter to November - but really worth a visit they have a fantastic aerial show.

I think private/individual visits can be arranged - best they get in touch with them anyway and talk to them to see what can be done!

jozi

I dont think buying one is a good idea, our cats might not like it

I'll be trying to get in touch tomorrow at some point.

jozi

Unfortunately they don't do any flying shows till April so its gonna have to wait.

ThunderCat

jozi wrote: »

Unfortunately they don't do any flying shows till April so its gonna have to wait.

Unlucky on that front, but as others have already said, I'd also strongly recommend a visit. Only been there the once but loved it and promised myself i'd go back when next in the region.
Maybe show your mam their website and tell her that thats what she can look forward to come April (where the weather should be a lot milder aswell) so she has something to look forward to. Maybe get her a small pair of binoculars for christmas so she can see the owls in even more detail when the time comes.

Alun

ThunderCat wrote: »

Maybe get her a small pair of binoculars for christmas so she can see the owls in even more detail when the time comes.

I don't know about the falconry referred to above, but when I visited one in Wicklow, I (and my wife) both had owls (and other raptors) perched on our hands. No need for binoculars

OpenYourEyes

Yeah at Eagles flying you get the chance to 'pet' an owl, and the flying show will have the Eagle Owl and one or two other birds of prey fly very closely over the crowd - but in my own opinion there's no need for binoculars at it, it'd probably make things more difficult really!

Capercaille

Go to Bull Island and you might see the Short eared owl that frequent the Dunes. Seeing a fleeting view of a free wild bird is better than seeing close hand a captive bird.

snaps

Capercaille wrote: »

Go to Bull Island and you might see the Short eared owl that frequent the Dunes. Seeing a fleeting view of a free wild bird is better than seeing close hand a captive bird.

I can highly recommend the flying eagles as well. Great day out.

wildlifeboy

I saw a snow owl on the mullet in mayo in real life too. better than Dublin Zoo by a mile

Alun

Capercaille wrote: »

Seeing a fleeting view of a free wild bird is better than seeing close hand a captive bird.

Two different things entirely IMO, both with their respective merits.

shawnee

Good selection at Bird of prey centre near Ailwee caves in Co. Clare

dodderangler

RWD wrote: »

theres one for sale on donedeal for 160 euro

I know your only trying to help the op but not wise to advertise a owl for sale to someone who has no experience with owls. Biggest problem is some of the people selling these owls will sell the bird to anyone with or without experience thus leading to a dead owl.
I was travelling to Dundalk to meet a lad with a barn owl chick and it died in his car on the way. Shows how poorly these animals are kept and just bred to be sold for the money. He never asked if I had experience or anything.

Mad4simmental

Hi guys, didn't want to start a new thread. Do any of you guys here know a reputable place I could get a pair of breeding barn ouls? Also any info on how to relocate or where to find info on that would be fantastic. I live on a farm with big hay sheads ect and could put up bird houses in them or big platforms. Thank you.

magicbastarder

even if you could get the owls (which i'm sure other people will have a better informed opinion than i), there is no way to ensure they nest in your barn - and one thing to bear in mind is that you'd have to stop using rodenticide, if you already use it.

OpenYourEyes

Mad4simmental wrote: »

Hi guys, didn't want to start a new thread. Do any of you guys here know a reputable place I could get a pair of breeding barn ouls? Also any info on how to relocate or where to find info on that would be fantastic. I live on a farm with big hay sheads ect and could put up bird houses in them or big platforms. Thank you.

There's a difference between having wild barn owls and having 'pet' barn owls that you can buy.

It sounds like you'd like to attract a pair of wild Barn Owls to breed in your sheds - which is great to hear! They're lovely birds and catch a staggering amount of mice and rats around farms every year.

My advice would be to get in touch with John Lusby of Birdwatch Ireland, and tell him where you're located and that you have a farm with big hay sheds and you'd like to put in a Barn Owl nest box and that you want his advice or to have a chat with him.

His email address is: jlusby@birdwatchireland.ie


Best of luck with it, and let us know how you get on!



EDIT: Maybe consider a Kestrel nest box either? They're lovely birds too, and will also take loads of rats and mice each year, they feed during the day so you'll see them more often, and there's more of them in the country so you might have a better chance of attracting them to your barn. Try and get to chat to John Lusby of Birdwatch Ireland anyway, and keep Kestrels in mind as a second option.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

+1. Please do not buy Barn Owls for release! It's just not that simple. Please talk to a Birdwatch expert rather than going down the falconry road for something like this.

magicbastarder

are you allowed keep native birds of prey as pets?
i had understood that native animals could not be kept as pets.

OpenYourEyes

magicbastarder wrote: »

are you allowed keep native birds of prey as pets?
i had understood that native animals could not be kept as pets.

Well lets just categorically say that you cannot keep any native birds of prey, or any other bird or animal species as pets if you've caught them yourself in any way!

Lots of falconers have birds of prey that you can see in the wild here, mostly from captive breeders, and a small number received from the NPWS under strict license. Annual inspections and paperwork stating where the bird came from are needed.


But let's not deviate into a discussion abotu falconry - this isn't the appropriate forum for it and it sounds like the poster above was just slightly mixed up about the differences between captive and wild birds.

dodderangler

OpenYourEyes wrote: »

Well lets just categorically say that you cannot keep any native birds of prey, or any other bird or animal species as pets if you've caught them yourself in any way!

Lots of falconers have birds of prey that you can see in the wild here, mostly from captive breeders, and a small number received from the NPWS under strict license. Annual inspections and paperwork stating where the bird came from are needed.


But let's not deviate into a discussion abotu falconry - this isn't the appropriate forum for it and it sounds like the poster above was just slightly mixed up about the differences between captive and wild birds.

+1 on that.
As someone who does/has done falconry with hawks ( don't know as I don't have the time to commit) I don't know how many conversations I've had with people who think Its a matter of letting the bird go and it always flies back. It's not and a lot more complex than that. Weight management, manning and fitness are the keys to it. Also recording the weight of a bird in hot cold and moderate temps are vital. But as you said not the forum for falconry talk.
Wild barnies are a lot different to to pr bred or crèche reared birds.
Some pr or cr will survive in the wild but a lot won't as they're dependant on humans for food.
If you've a prob in the barn with mice or rats the local animal rescue may have some neutured feral cats that will sort it out. A lot of farmers are doing that lately.

dodderangler

To add to my post a lot of people sell barn owls on donedeal etc cheap.
Please do not buy one without the proper knowledge and training. They are birds of prey and require same knowledge needed to fly any other bop and more because of their size weight management is crucial or a dead barn owl is the result.
Afaik a licence isn't needed for a barn owl but is needed for hawks falcons and eagles. And some breeders will sell a bird to anyone just for money.
So please don't buy one. Feral cat will sort out rat or mice problem.
As OYE said contact someone with knowledge of wild barn owls and nest boxes if your really interested.
Feel free to pm me if you want any questions answered
Atb

Mad4simmental

OpenYourEyes wrote: »

There's a difference between having wild barn owls and having 'pet' barn owls that you can buy.

It sounds like you'd like to attract a pair of wild Barn Owls to breed in your sheds - which is great to hear! They're lovely birds and catch a staggering amount of mice and rats around farms every year.

My advice would be to get in touch with John Lusby of Birdwatch Ireland, and tell him where you're located and that you have a farm with big hay sheds and you'd like to put in a Barn Owl nest box and that you want his advice or to have a chat with him.

His email address is: jlusby@birdwatchireland.ie

Best of luck with it, and let us know how you get on!



EDIT: Maybe consider a Kestrel nest box either? They're lovely birds too, and will also take loads of rats and mice each year, they feed during the day so you'll see them more often, and there's more of them in the country so you might have a better chance of attracting them to your barn. Try and get to chat to John Lusby of Birdwatch Ireland anyway, and keep Kestrels in mind as a second option.

Thanks ill do that. We have atleast two breeding pairs of kestrels around the farm not nesting in the sheds but near by. Very impressive birds. One dived about a foot over my dad's head last year and straight into the bush to nab a small bird. Very quick bird.

Mad4simmental

magicbastarder wrote: »

are you allowed keep native birds of prey as pets?
i had understood that native animals could not be kept as pets.

I should have been more clear I don't want them as pets. I just thought that we have the perfect location for them and would love to attract a pair or sum thing onto that line.

Mad4simmental

dodderangler wrote: »

To add to my post a lot of people sell barn owls on donedeal etc cheap.
Please do not buy one without the proper knowledge and training. They are birds of prey and require same knowledge needed to fly any other bop and more because of their size weight management is crucial or a dead barn owl is the result.
Afaik a licence isn't needed for a barn owl but is needed for hawks falcons and eagles. And some breeders will sell a bird to anyone just for money.
So please don't buy one. Feral cat will sort out rat or mice problem.
As OYE said contact someone with knowledge of wild barn owls and nest boxes if your really interested.
Feel free to pm me if you want any questions answered
Atb

I fully agree with what you are saying it's the same with pups ect. I was thinking naby if birds wer being cared for because they wer handed in found injered ect and sumone was looking for a place to release them I'd love to see them around. Do you know if they mind a bit of noise in a yard? The shed adjacent to it would have a few cattel in it over winter and the tractor running around now and agen. Thanks.

OpenYourEyes

Mad4simmental wrote: »

I fully agree with what you are saying it's the same with pups ect. I was thinking naby if birds wer being cared for because they wer handed in found injered ect and sumone was looking for a place to release them I'd love to see them around. Do you know if they mind a bit of noise in a yard? The shed adjacent to it would have a few cattel in it over winter and the tractor running around now and agen. Thanks.

From my experience with birds of prey, as long as theres no direct interference witht their nest then that kind of background noise shouldn't be a problem!

Chisler2

Mad4simmental wrote: »

I fully agree with what you are saying it's the same with pups ect. I was thinking naby if birds wer being cared for because they wer handed in found injered ect and sumone was looking for a place to release them I'd love to see them around. Do you know if they mind a bit of noise in a yard? The shed adjacent to it would have a few cattel in it over winter and the tractor running around now and agen. Thanks.

Hawks and falcons tolerate noise and activity well, in my experience. We have a Cooper's Hawk which hunts the local sparrow-flock daily, coming in low through a fairly built-up urban area. Last winter I watched a Cooper's catch and eat a rodent in a tiny park in the centre of Chicago, adjacent to a footpath with heavy human traffic. The issue is that wild creatures and birds have their own preferences as to where they nest and hunt and it is unlikely our (human) ideas of what makes for good board-and-lodgings match with theirs. If - after advice from local wildlife organisations - you set up an environment in which the wild bird can be independent, safe from predators and with access to sufficient wild, uncontaminated prey to sustain its needs, they will likely become your contented neighbours.