Supporting local barn owl conservation in Northwest Norfolk
Egmere Energy Ltd is an anaerobic digestion plant located in North Norfolk. Future Biogas manage and operate the plant on behalf of JLEN, and this includes dispersing the Egmere Energy Ltd annual community fund.
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The fund is available to support local initiatives that promote social sustainability, environmental sustainability and educational promotion. This year we are proud to donate to the North West Norfolk Ringing Group (NWNRG) which supports the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), undertakes original ornithological research projects and contributes to the national bird ringing scheme. The group began monitoring birds on the Holkham estate in 1990 and has been monitoring local bird numbers and breeding success through the use of ringing. Since the group’s formation they have ringed over 45,000 birds of 126 species.
Recently, barn owls have been at the forefront of the group’s conservation work. To monitor numbers the NWNRG tag any young owlets with leg rings issued by the BTO. Ringing allows for the group to identify the birds as individuals as each ring has unique number that codes the bird’s age, sex, weight, wing length measurements and any moult that the bird is undergoing. These details are all taken quickly so that the bird is not harmed. In 2021 there was evidence of 17 breeding pairs of barn owls across 50 nest sites. Furthermore 31 chicks were ringed and will be kept on record for the rest of their lives.
The NWNRG and Holkham Estate donated a barn owl box to Egmere Energy (pictured right). Previously, our owl box had been inhabited but later suffered irreparable storm damage. It is hoped that now the box has been reinstated it will become another barn owl home very soon.
Egmere Energy donated funds to assist the volunteers in continuing their valuable work and towards the cost of the rings. We hope that the provision of nesting boxes together with ringing the barn owl population will further strengthen and inform conservation efforts. We are delighted to have made a contribution to this important environmental work and we wish continued success and longevity to the NWNRG.
To find out more about barn owl ringing, bird conservation efforts in Norfolk or to make a donation please visit the NWNRG website.