BIRDS of prey populations are taking flight after a project to push electrical cables underground.

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks carried out works to bury cabling that ran across part of Standlake Common Nature Reserve near Witney in 2005.

The old poles that had held the overhead lines were repurposed to house three nesting boxes for the reserve’s barn owl and kestrel population.

The boxes are currently hosting a pair of Barn Owls, which it is hoped will hatch more owlets in the coming weeks.

Wear and tear over the years had left the Kestrel box in need of replacement, but the height it needed to be installed on the pole was proving tricky for the wardens to reach.

So, while working in the area last month, SSEN engineers took the opportunity to reinstate the reserve’s newly-built box at the correct height, and it is now ready for visitors.

Reserve manager Lucy Cullen said: “We would like to thank SSEN for stepping in to help us install the replacement kestrel box.

“One of two nature reserves in the Lower Windrush Valley, the site is a haven for wildlife with over 170 bird species recorded.

“We hope that the new nest box will be used by kestrels for many years to come.”