Cheshire Couple's 30-Year Crusade Revives Barn Owl Population

In 2025, a couple who started trying to reverse the declining barn owl population in Cheshire 30 years ago are being remembered for their conservation efforts. When Dot and George Bramall moved to the area from the Channel Islands in the 1990s, they were surprised to find so few barn owls. A 1994 survey had recorded only 6 breeding pairs in West Cheshire at the time.

However, after the Bramalles initiated careful conservation measures, the area has since seen a remarkable turnaround. As of 2025, the region now boasts around 160 breeding pairs of barn owls, a testament to the couple's dedication over the past three decades. "When George and Dot first came here from Guernsey, they made this comment of 'where are all the barn owls?' and we did feel that it was personally our fault," said the RSPB's chairman in Chester, Bernard Wright.

The Bramalles' conservation work has clearly paid off, reviving the barn owl population in their adopted home of Cheshire through their tireless efforts over the past 30 years.