Barn Owl Conservation Handbook

Here you will find guidance on all aspects of Barn Owl conservation, from the care of injured birds, the creation and conservation of suitable habitat for their maintenance and successful breeding, to thorny questions about the impact of major roads and secondary poisoning by rodenticides. It would be easy to write a book about Barn Owls that would be a classic in the genre of conservation gloom and doom. Barn Owls are under pressure from multiple sources which are well analysed and described here. But rather than throwing up our hands, we are invited by this guide to take a very positive approach.

-- Graham Martin, Emeritus Professor Centre for Ornithology, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham

The most complete and concise catalogue of techniques, methods and practices used to protect the Barn Owl, both in captivity and in the wild ... Anyone who has any interest and any capacity to assist in Barn Owl conservation should own this important book.

-- Chris Packham

Overall, the Barn Owl Conservation Handbook provides an accessible, well-illustrated guide to the practicalities of Barn Owl fieldwork that will doubtless be of interest and use to the key target audience, namely those professionals and volunteers involved in surveying, developing and managing sites for the species.

-- David Leech * IBIS *

This substantial book aims to be comprehensive, an indispensable guide for ecologists, surveyors, land managers and ornithologists. At almost 400 detailed pages,  it is remarkably thorough. Its nine chapters cover ecology, legal aspects, surveys, habitat creation and management, accommodation for barn owls, mortality, planning issues and injury and rehabilitation. It is full of case studies and practical examples of barn owl conservation in action. For me this is one of the most winning aspects of this book: it keeps the practicalities of barn owl conservation in view at all times.

-- James Robertson * Natur Cymru *

The Barn Owl Trust has produced an excellent guide for anyone involved in the conservation of barn owls. ... For me the most important chapter is 'Casualty assessment, short-term care and the principles of rehabilitation'. Its 30 pages show, step by step, the procedures for dealing with an injured barn owl, with very clear photographs of each step.

-- Nigel Middleton * The Peregrine *

How I wish this book had been on my shelves when I first began my study of Barn Owls 47 years ago.  If it had been, countless hours of lost sleep and many millions of midge bites could have been avoided, for it answers virtually every question a Barn Owl researcher needs to ask.  It is a magnificent work and must have taken a herculean effort to put together and verify the mass of data held within its 395 pages. 

-- Tony Warbu