Last week, we received a question about dealing with voles, which greedily feast on the young roots and bulbs of our plants. How can we reduce their impact on our garden in good conscience? An attentive listener told us about the research of UNIL professor Alexandre Roulin, who knows the barn owl inside and out. He has also led a project on the role of the barn owl as a biological control agent to reduce rodent populations in regions where these populations surge, devastating crops in the process.
So we decided to invite him this morning to talk together about this magnificent bird. A nocturnal raptor that feasts on small animals, such as voles, field mice, and shrews.