Royston farmer Robert Law has gone the extra mile to help find out why barn owls are disappearing.
The owner of Thrift Farm has signed up to a scheme to investigate what is going wrong for barn owls in the UK.
Seven new owl boxes are being installed at the farm and owls are being tagged as part of a national project. New chicks will be monitored as they leave the nest.
Conservation Grade, an association that promotes nature friendly farming, launched the project in collaboration with Jordans Cereals, after research found that just 30 per cent of barn owls were surviving into adulthood. Barn owls have declined from 12,000 pairs in the 1930s to just 6,000 pairs today.
The scheme will investigate whether measures at Conservation Grade farms to provide healthier habitats, like planting seeds and cover for birds, pollen crops for bees and longer grasses for mammals, have any positive effects on the bird population.
Mr Law, 53, already uses 10 per cent of his land at Baldock road to improve wildlife habitats.
He said: “As a farmer, I’m a custodian of the British countryside, which is why it is so important schemes like Conservation Grade exist to ensure there is wildlife left in the countryside for generations to come.
“I always go the extra mile when it comes to wildlife. I hope we can find out if that is making as a big a difference as I think.”
Tim Nevard, Conservation Grade chief executive, said: “Although the barn owl used to be a common sight, few people today are fortunate enough to have seen this most elegant of predators in its natural environment.”
The museum also has a new lighting system, thanks to a grant from North Herts District Council. It is open on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 10am to 4.45pm.