Wicklow Barn Owls: Connecting Pellets, Poo and Library Cards!

Date:         21 August, 6pm - 8pm

Location:   Rathdrum Library

                  Back Lane, Rathdrum

                  A67 DK29

                  Co. Wicklow

Welcome to the fascinating world of Barn Owls and Barn Owl pellets.

The Wicklow Barn Owl group is teaming up with Wicklow Library Service to explore the amazing lifecycle of Barn Owls at this event which includes a workshop and the official launch of the new Barn Owl themed Wicklow Library Card.

About the poo & pellets workshop: Barn Owls swallow their prey whole- bones and all, so they have a specialist digestive system to deal with this. Different to poop, a pellet is a regurgitated ball of all the bits an owl cannot digest. By examining a pellet we can find the fur, feathers, teeth, and bones from an owl’s last meal. This in turn tells us a lot about the health of prey species in our countryside.

Wicklow County Council Library service is delighted to feature the Barn Owl as the new mascot on Wicklow library cards to raise awareness of this bird of conservation concern. The Wicklow Barn Owl group is a partnership between Wicklow County Council and National Parks and Wildlife Service established in 2022. The group gathers barn owl sightings in the Wicklow countryside and works with, farmers, landowners Birdwatch Ireland and community enthusiasts on an ongoing basis to encourage more breeding success through the installation and monitoring of artificial nest boxes.

Numbers are limited by the capacity of the venue, please drop an e mail to eao@wicklowcoco.ie to book a place

The Wicklow Barn Owl project project is co-funded by NPWS, The Heritage Council and Wicklow County Council through the local biodiversity action plan fund.