Already a haven for wildlife, as well as holidaymakers, the Dog and Duck Leisure Park at Pluck’s Gutter is now planning to offer luxury accommodation for barn owls too.

For many years the owners of this popular caravan park have been managing the site with wildlife in mind. In recent years this work has been recognised when they were awarded the Kent Environment Business Award for wildlife conservation and for the seventh year have received the David Bellamy Gold Award for environmental best practice.

In September 2001, two barn owl boxes were erected with help from Kentish Stour Countryside Project volunteers. Since then barn owls have be seen around the caravan park and may now be breeding, and a pair of kestrels have already raised two broods of chicks. To further encourage owls and kestrels, the Kentish Stour Countryside Project volunteers erected two more boxes at the site on Thursday 10th February.

Post war changes in agricultural land management have lead to a dramatic drop in Britain’s barn owl population, as many suitable hunting habitats have been lost as well as numerous nest sites. Recent years have seen a growing trend in barn conversions, another factor that has added to the owls’ plight.

However, times are changing and with help from sympathetic landowners like those at the Dog and Duck and as a result of various agri-environment schemes run by Defra, the government’s agricultural agency, environmentally friendly farming is helping to change the fortunes for barn owls and other wildlife. On the marshes around the Dog and Duck there is plenty of suitable habitat for barn owls, likewise nearby Minster and Chislet Marshes often host this enigmatic species.

"Part of the appeal of owning a caravan in the country" said David J Emanuel, a partner in the park business "is the joy of taking long countryside walks. And of course, "wildlife watching" is a definite bonus. We have an enthusiastic group of birdwatchers here, who, with books and binoculars at the ready, monitor bird activity around the park."