1. Aire & Calder Navigation
In Yorkshire, the Aire & Calder Navigation has undergone a 30-year-long project to provide barn owls with nest boxes and rough grassland, where these predators might feast on shrews, voles, and mice. Since 1998, the Aire & Calder nest boxes have fledged over 180 young barn owls.
2. Gloucester & Sharpness Canal
In the southwest, you might see barn owls along the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal. Particular hotspots with habitats for owls include Purton, Sandfield Meadow (Frampton-on-Severn), and Rea Meadow. At dusk, look out for the magnificence of the barn owl’s pale shape looming out of the darkness.
3. Bridgwater & Taunton Canal
The Bridgwater & Taunton Canal, a largely rural waterway, has good habitats for barn owls. Head to the Standards Lock picnic area and listen for their distinctive screech as they hunt for prey.