Owl be seeing you: Erin visits Coralstown NS

Thomas Lyons

You can hear a pin drop in the assembly room of Coralstown NS as John Carrig lifts the latch on the black box resting on the table in front of the pupils. It’s no easy task to command the attention of the 60 or so young people, but the anticipation to see Erin has them rapt.

The subject of their fascination is the three-year-old ambassador of the The Barn Owl Project.

The door is opened and Erin pops out and perches on John’s hand – the culmination of an entrancing presentation by the Barn Owl Project volunteer. Up to that point John presented a slide show on the beautiful raptor.

He told the pupils how as a bird of prey the barn owl is adapted for hunting at night, using sharp talons for capturing small mammals, rodents, and birds.

His presentation was about more than just the owl, as other birds, mammals and reptiles made guest appearances in the talk.

The young people of Coralstown NS lapped it up. The “ooohh” and “aaaah” accompanying the pictures of young birds, foxes and rabbits, were a counterpoint to the single “mmmmh” elicited when John told how much his companion loved to eat voles, mice, rats and shrews. The pupils put The Barn Owl Project founder through his paces by asking him a number of questions after the talk.

John has been involved in wildlife rescue for more than 20 years. Birds of prey are his true passion and he has focused on barn owls because of their plight.

Ireland’s barn owl population decreased by an estimated 70% during the 20th century. The main cause of decline is the reduced food supply caused by changes in farming practices and the large number killed on the roads. The verges of rough grass on the sides of motorways and dual carriageways are attractive to owls as they contain many small mammals. When barn owls are hunting they fly about two to four metres above the ground and so are easily hit by fast traffic.

John set up The Barn Owl Project in 2019 to bring the conservation of barn owls into communities and to allow us all to take ownership of what is happening to the wildlife where we live.

“We do a lot of rescue work with birds of prey in general, but particularly the barn owls, just because it’s in trouble for the last number of years,” John says as Erin looks on, still perched on his hand after the students have returned to class. “A part of the project is what we have done today, to get people interested. The younger you can get them, the better. Kids have a great passion for wildlife.”

The truth in the statement is clear by the response of the Coralstown NS children. The message goes beyond those who hear it first hand: “We have found in the past that if you can get the kids on board, you get the parents on board. I’ve often got emails from parents asking questions because their children want to put up a barn owl box.”

Promoting the biodiversity message is a net that needs to be cast wide: “Sometimes we do retirement homes, because in the project we feel everyone’s entitled to see or have some sort of interaction in wildlife. The benefits for people are amazing.”

John gives up to 60 talks a year, but the Barn Owl Project is about more than talking. They works closely with National Parks and Wildlife Service and are part of Ireland’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Association, a voluntary group of well-established wildlife rehabbers, set up to give wildlife the opportunity to be cared for by knowledgeable experts and supported by a strong network of people who maintain and uphold the highest level of care and standards, protocols and current best practice.

“I suppose we have 70 volunteers on the project,” John says. “Everyone’s a volunteer. They do it free of their own time. A lot of those volunteers would have come through our community talks. Outside of that we do a lot of rescue work. You probably saw me on the phone there a while ago. I’ve been up since 4 o’clock this morning.

“We had two calls last night that had to be dealt with straight away. All those responders are volunteers that came from talks. Some were people who never had any interaction with wildlife, but are now actively participating. We find that really good for your mental health. There’s an amazing positive side to it.”

The project really is a life saver: “Last year we rescued around 125 barn owls. Then there’s the peregrine falcons, long-eared owls, short-eared owls, and kestrels. It’s mainly birds of prey we deal with. We have a network. So we have Susan, who runs battery rehabilitation in Limerick and does all the rehab.

“We have Bev, who looks after hedgehogs, there’s Kildare Wildlife Rescue, Galway Swan Rescue. So there’s a wide network of people around the country.”

That network facilitates the movement of data: “Another part of the project is getting that information out to people. You know, if you find something that’s injured or needs help. Or a big thing for me would be people setting up their own projects. It doesn’t have to be barn owls – it can be anything. There’s people in Ireland that have projects on toads and frogs and you name it.

“You might laugh at some of the stuff where people come up sometimes. But we have a girl that works with us, does a project on squirrels. We have a girl and her husband who are involved in another project on newts.”

Coralstown NS school principal, Michael Ward, believes the talk will have a profound influence on his charges: “It’s a huge opportunity for the children to experience something they generally will never come across in their day to day lives. I guarantee there’s a few children here who that’s had a massive impact on. It will inspire them and let them know there’s a big wild world out there that’s ready to be explored.”

John’s visit to Coralstown was coordinated by Aoife Lynskey of Milltownpass Tidy Towns: “We’ve been involved with the Barn Owl Project for a number of years now. We’re excited and honoured to be able to support their conservation work. It’s aligned with our own interests and values.”

Milltownpass Tidy Towns have a real community-led conservation goal, focusing on practical outcomes: “This project is about turning awareness into action. Milltownpass Tidy Towns isn’t just talking about biodiversity – we’re working with experts to create real, practical nesting opportunities for Barn Owls, supported by local people and landowners.

“We’re hoping this year to kick off a project to get 10 local barn owl boxes, nesting boxes, fitted by local farmers.”

Erin and John may have packed up and returned to Galway, but the reaction of the young people to The Barn Owl Project’s presentation is a source of optimism for the future.