Owl & kestrel box FiPL grant application deadline

Anna Field is putting together an application under the Farming in Protected Landscapes grant fund (see https://www.cotswoldsaonb.org.uk/looking-after/farming-in-protected-landscapes/) for Barn Owl, Little Owl and Kestrel boxes to install on farms in the North Cotswolds. She is particularly interested in getting external boxes up close to natural sites in ash trees which are likely to be lost to ash dieback in the near future, but is also happy to include internal barn owl and little owl boxes if you have suitable barns/outbuildings.

If this is something you are interested in, please can you reply to fieldanna@hotmail.co.uk with the following information/confirmations:

• How many of each of the following boxes you'd like (please note they may need to limit box numbers per farm/estate if interest is high):

1. Barn Owl internal (needs suitable barn/outbuilding, ideally which is already used by Barn Owls - pellets present etc.) 
2. Barn Owl external (needs large hedgerow tree, away from existing barn owl nest boxes) 
3. Little Owl (needs suitable barn/outbuilding or large hedgerow tree, ideally near existing natural site) 
4. Kestrel (needs large hedgerow tree, ideally near existing natural site)

• Would you like Anna to visit your farm/estate this autumn to advise on suitable nest box locations and identify any natural owl/kestrel sites in ash trees which may be lost to ash dieback?
• Confirmation that you are happy to collect the boxes from Sherborne GL54 3DN when they arrive and install them yourselves
• Confirmation that you are happy for Anna Field, Rich Harris or another local volunteer to monitor the boxes each year (under licence and in confidence) to contribute to our knowledge of the breeding populations of these species in the Cotswolds and to submit to the British Trust for Ornithology's national nest record dataset
• Confirmation that you are happy for Anna to include your farm/estate's name (no personal details) on the FIPL application form as supporting the application
• Please note this can't double fund boxes funded under stewardship or required by planning mitigation

Please do get in touch with Anna field if you have any questions about any of the above. They will be submitting the bid in mid-late September so please send responses to fieldanna@hotmail.co.uk by Wednesday 15 September.