Barn owl seeks the quiet life in a rabbit burrow

By Caroline Middleton GordonContributor
Published 22nd Jun 2023, 16:01 BST
The adult male Barn Owl in the Lammermuirs prefers some downtime, away from his young broodThe adult male Barn Owl in the Lammermuirs prefers some downtime, away from his young brood
The adult male Barn Owl in the Lammermuirs prefers some downtime, away from his young brood
A Barn Owl father with nesting chicks has been observed over several days tucked away in an old rabbit burrow in the Lammermuirs, returning to the nest in the evening to help the female with feeding duties.

Gamekeepers in the Lammermuirs were astonished to see this adult male Barn Owl spending his days in a rabbit’s burrow, the first time such behaviour has been recorded on camera in the region.

The owl is father to a brood of chicks, nesting 200 yards down the valley in a shed, but every day he retreats to a disused rabbit hole for some peace and quiet.

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Mark Ewart, coordinator of the Southern Uplands Moorland Group, said: “This daddy Owl is clearly looking for a bit of downtime – we all know how tiring it can be with youngsters making a racket all day long! He has chosen a quiet spot hidden away in an old rabbit burrow, but will return to help with parenting chores later on!

“We have a good number of Barn Owls in the region and many of the gamekeepers have installed nesting boxes inside buildings. There is abundant food in the area with plenty of ground cover plants to encourage species such as voles and mice. The population varies depending on the availability of food each year but Barn Owls have been on a gradual upward trend over several years and it is wonderful to see them hunting in the area.”

The Southern Uplands Moorland Group is also part of the translocation project bringing Golden Eagles back to the South of Scotland, with the local population now at 38 (the highest number recorded for three centuries).