A Hooting Success at Carden Park: Welcome Betty The Barn Owl!

Some of you may remember our 2024 news update about the installation of several nesting boxes across the Carden Park estate, designed to encourage barn owls to make their home here. We’re delighted to share that the project has been a success!

Our resident mum barn owl – who we’ve affectionately nicknamed Betty – has settled in brilliantly. She laid a clutch of eggs and we’re thrilled to report that four healthy owlets have successfully hatched. Even better, she’s been regularly spotted returning to the nest with food, proving she’s doing an amazing job raising her growing family.

A key part of this conservation project has been led internally by Peter Pattenden – Head of Estate, with the support of the Carden Park Hotel Sustainability Committee. Pictured holding the mother barn owl, Peter was working under the close supervision of the Broxton Barn Owl Group, who carry out essential health checks and monitoring as part of their ongoing research into local barn owl populations. These carefully managed checks provide valuable data that helps conservationists better understand and protect these magnificent birds.

This is a genuinely encouraging story for anyone passionate about supporting wildlife. According to the Barn Owl Trust (with data contributed by the Broxton Barn Owl Group) there have been no official UK-wide barn owl population statistics since 1997. However, recent monitoring has shown fewer active nests being found with surviving broods around 11% lower than usual. While there are several factors behind this decline, one of the biggest challenges is the loss of suitable habitat. That’s exactly why Carden Park has dedicated areas of the estate including on our championship golf courses to remain naturally unmanaged. This creates richer habitats for local wildlife. These areas encourage species such as voles which are an essential food source for barn owls. Voles thrive in dense vegetation where they find both shelter and food, meaning healthy grassland habitats are vital if we want to support healthy barn owl populations. It’s a reminder that conservation is about looking at the bigger picture – protecting an entire ecosystem not just a single species.

There’s still a long way to go to secure the future of barn owls in the wild but every success story deserves to be celebrated. Watching one mum owl successfully raise four healthy chicks is a wonderful milestone and one we’re incredibly proud to have played a small part in at our Cheshire Hotel.

We wish Betty and her four hungry owlets the very best of luck over the coming weeks as they continue to grow, gain confidence and before long fledge the nest.