
Owl Quiet on the Nesting Front
From The Knepp Wilding Podcast by Knepp.co.uk
September 23, 2025 · 29 min
About this episode
Penny Green interviews Matt Phelps about the challenges facing barn owls during a quiet breeding year.
In Owl Quiet on the Nesting Front, Penny Green interviews Matt Phelps, Knepp’s lead ecologist. They’re out on the Wildland checking 22 owl boxes. In this episode, they discuss barn owls’ silent grace and striking beauty… as well as how much people love to investigate their pellets to discover what the owls have had for breakfast! It’s a quiet year for owl breeding. Last autumn’s poor acorn yield spelled tough times for the small mammals who feed on them. That’s translated into a challenging y...
People in this episode
Host: Penny Green
Guest: Matt Phelps
Topics covered
- owl ecology
- barn owls
- wildlife conservation
- nature observation
- breeding challenges
Keywords
- barn owls
- owl boxes
- ecology
- wildlife
- nature
- breeding
- pellets
- Knepp
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Knepp
Books & works: Owl Quiet on the Nesting Front
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