WILDLIFE lovers can once again tune in live to watch a pair of barn owls nesting and raising their chicks on a nature reserve near Weymouth.

Last spring and summer, tens of thousands of viewers watched the two resident barn owls nesting and raising their chicks from the comfort of their own homes through a webcam set up by Dorset Wildlife Trust at its Lorton Meadows Nature Reserve in Weymouth.

This spring, viewers can witness first-hand a barn owl pair which have roosted in the box throughout the entire winter and see their intriguing behaviours, including preening, mating and eating, and hear their characteristic chittering, screeching or hissing, all live via the webcam. With breeding season now here, viewers may soon see eggs, and the first moments of a chick’s life.

Barn owls hunt rodents such as voles, shrews and mice in rough grassland, but much of this habitat has been lost due to increased pressures on the countryside from development and food production, contributing to their widespread decline.

Emily Newton, Dorset Wildlife Trust’s Landowner Liaison Officer said: “It’s always a special moment when you see a barn owl; it feels like you are really sharing a moment with nature. We are so lucky to be able to view this pair in their nest and will hopefully get to watch their young develop and leave the nest.

“This year and last, many people have turned to nature for some solace and respite from the stressful circumstances we are living in, and Dorset Wildlife Trust are grateful to be able to share these barn owls with the viewers.

“Breeding success for barns owls is dependent on having good plentiful supplies of food to rear their young and grassland fields like the ones at Lorton Meadows are perfect for this, as are some of the rougher grassland sites along the coast and on farmland where farmers specifically manage grass margins in their fields to increase numbers of small mammals.”

Dorset Wildlife Trust launched its new barn owl adoption this year, which includes a certificate of adoption and a sheet of barn owl facts, for £15.

Money from the adoptions go towards helping to protect these majestic, but declining birds in Dorset. The proceeds will help ensure barn owls across the county continue to benefit from good quality habitat, through Dorset Wildlife Trust’s conservation work on nature reserves and engagement with the local community and farmers.

To watch the barn owls live now, visit www.dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk/wildlifewebcam

To adopt a barn owl for £15, visit www.dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk/shop