National bird of prey conservation charity the Hawk and Owl Trust has begun a new research project in Norfolk, Operation SWORD (Save Wild Owls from Road Deaths). Its aim is to help reduce the number of wild owls, particularly barn owls, killed by vehicles on the county’s roads.
It is asking people to help by looking out for and reporting any owl or other bird of prey casualties on roadsides.
The initial pilot project involves locating ‘blackspots’ where the number of owls being struck is particularly high, then installing some high tech sensors to see if they help to reduce the problem. The sensors, which have been used in trials in Sweden, react to headlights by emitting a noise that deflects wildlife away from the road.
“We are asking members of the public to help by using the reporting form on our website to let us know when and where they see dead birds on any of the county’s roads – country lanes as well as major routes. This information will add to our own investigations to help locate blackspots where road casualties occur regularly and therefore where the devices are likely to be most useful,” explained Nigel Middleton, the Trust’s Conservation Officer for East Anglia.
He is also taking to his bicycle to monitor some of the county’s roads. The findings will be added to information received from the public, wildlife hospitals and ringing recoveries from BTO data from 2005 onwards, to map active blackspots.
“Then we plan to install devices that, when activated by headlights, release one of five different sounds, randomly. We hope the noise will alert owls or other birds of prey that could be at risk from the traffic as they hunt along the verges. We’ll monitor progress to identify any increase or reduction in owl mortality as a result.
“Where the deflectors are being trialed on moose in Sweden there’s evidence that great grey owl road mortality has also gone down. As far as we know, our project will be the first to use the technology in Britain.”
Welcoming the experiment, Hawk and Owl Trust President Chris Packham said: “This seems a really sensible appliance of science and if it works we might see more owls in our countryside. We know from earlier Trust research that a significant proportion of the young owl population gets taken out on Britain’s roads.”
Nigel will be using devices manufactured by Swareflex, a subsidiary of Swarovski, to carry out the pilot project. The project will be assisted with data collection and handling by Norfolk Biodiversity Information Service (NBIS) which collects and manages records of Norfolk’s wildlife. Martin Horlock, NBIS Biodiversity Information Officer, said: “This pioneering project will not only explore the effectiveness of measures to reduce owl casualties, which sadly are all too frequent on our roads, but will also provide us with recent data on owl populations in the county.”
Some funding for the pilot project has come from the Hawk and Owl Trust’s 40th anniversary appeal. Further funding will be sought to enlarge the project if the detectors prove to help wild birds of prey.
If you see a barn owl or other bird of prey casualty on any road verge in Norfolk please report your sightings to the Hawk and Owl Trust via the Trust’s website HYPERLINK "http://www.hawkandowl.org" www.hawkandowl.org or write to Sculthorpe Moor Community Nature Reserve, Turf Moor Road, Sculthorpe, Fakenham, Norfolk, NR21 9GN. Please do not cause a danger to yourself or other road users by stopping to look at wildlife casualties whilst driving and please do not send the actual carcases to the Trust.
Although the Trust is particularly interested in Norfolk casualties, findings from roads in other counties will help map areas of the UK where it might be useful to site deflectors, if they prove successful.
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Press enquiries: Leanne Thomas 01328 856788. Nigel Middleton 07867 572794
Notes to editors:
1. Hawk and Owl Trust
Founded in 1969 to help save the peregrine, the Hawk and Owl Trust celebrated its 40th anniversary year in 2009. The Trust is a national charity which now works for the conservation and appreciation of all wild birds of prey and their habitats – both in its nature reserves and in partnership with others. Working with other organisations, farmers, foresters and landowners, the Trust researches, restores and manages nesting, roosting and feeding habitats and encourages greater understanding and appreciation of these very special birds. www.hawkandowl.org
2. Sculthorpe Moor Community Nature Reserve, near Fakenham, Norfolk.
The reserve is a rare remnant of old riverside fen in the Upper Wensum Valley, rescued by the Hawk and Owl Trust and the local community and officially opened by the Princess Royal in September 2003.The Trust leases the core area of the reserve from a parish charity, which holds the land in perpetuity. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) consisting of reed bed, valley fen, alder carr and woodland with a rich biodiversity of plants and animals. It is part of the River Wensum Special Area of Conservation (SAC), designated because of its international ecological importance, and is the only place in the Wensum Valley where saw sedge occurs, now a priority habitat for conservation in Europe. HYPERLINK "http://www.sculthorpemoor.org.uk" www.sculthorpemoor.org.uk
3. Norfolk Biodiversity Information Service (NBIS)
NBIS - HYPERLINK "http://www.nbis.org.uk" www.nbis.org.uk 01603 224458 collects and manages wildlife records. The centre operates on a not-for-profit basis providing information for those who are working for the conservation and enhancement of local biodiversity. Our database contains over one million species records. NBIS is always keen to receive additional records, particularly new sightings. Using Geographical Information System mapping, NBIS can help spot opportunities to enhance biodiversity – by joining up habitat fragments, for example.
4. A Hawk and Owl Trust study for the Highways Agency between 1995 and 98 indicated that over 3,000 barn owls are killed annually on UK dual carriageways and motorways between September and March, the first hunting season for young, inexperienced barn owls, and also the time when adults hunt further afield.
