“We tried to move the owl but it was going nowhere,” said the school’s Wendy Smyth. She said the owl sat through the preparation of the school concert and only left after the pupils were done rehearsing.
The school contacted EcoSolutions Environmental Consultants which has an Urban Owl Box Project. “The provision of breeding sites within suburban gardens is the aim of the Urban Owl Project,” said Jonathan Haw of EcoSolutions. “These owls live and breed within the green belts that wind their way through the suburbs.” EcoSolutions installed an owl box at the school. “Through the positioning of owl boxes with a suitable pea gravel substrate, pairs of owls begin to utilise these artificial nest boxes in which to lay eggs and rear their young,” added Haw.
Smyth said, “Unfortunately the owl has not returned, but when it does at least it will now have a place to stay.”