Owl Sponsorship is a Hoot at Bowhill House

13th November, 2014

Rangers at Bowhill House and Country Estate are giving members of the public an opportunity to sponsor an owl to help the conservation of the birds of prey who have made the Estate their home.

Bowhill has launched the owl sponsorship project to help provide new nest baskets and maintain the birds’ natural habitats throughout the Estate.   The project aims to encourage more owls to the region, and provide an opportunity to monitor the species’ activity on the Estate..

For just £25.00, sponsors will receive an owl adoption pack including a poster, a fact file about the long-eared owls that can be seen at Bowhill, a small owl soft toy and information on the work that will be carried out using the sponsorship funds.

Many owl species reside at Bowhill including short-eared owls, which love to hunt on the high moors, and long-eared owls which are regularly spotted amongst the trees.

Michael Paton, Seasonal Ranger at Bowhill House and Country Estate, is leading the owl sponsorship project.

He said: “We have already had a good deal of interest from the public in the sponsorship scheme and would love to hear from anyone who is looking to find out more as there is still a lot of work that can be done to secure the future of owls in the Borders.

“We are building and installing a number of nest baskets around the Estate to encourage more breeding, which is essential for building numbers and monitoring these spectacular birds.

“The sponsorship opportunity not only allows people to make a difference but gives them an opportunity to engage with the countryside around them and find out more about the wildlife that’s on their doorstep. In addition to owls, we have a host of animals that call Bowhill their home including red squirrels, badgers, deer and even otters.”

Anyone interested in sponsoring an owl this autumn should contact Michael Paton, Seasonal Countryside Ranger, by e-mailing him on bht@buccleuch.com or calling 01750 22204.