THE future for Britain's barn owl population is looking extremely bleak after the worst breeding season for more than 20 years. Conservationists from the Barn Owl Trust, Ashburton, have discovered that at least two out of three traditional breeding sites have failed to produce young this year. The below average temperatures in March meant there was less hunting and many birds died of starvation. In May, the birds were hit with high rainfall, which further reduced hunting success as their feathers can easily become clogged. David Ramsden, the trust's head of conservation, said: 'Every year we visit the same 70 breeding sites and we generally find young owlets in most nests. 'This year, one third of the sites we have visited had no signs of barn owl occupation at all, let alone nesting. 'One third have had single adult birds which implies their partners didn't make it through the winter and most of the adult pairs that did survive show no signs of breeding.' After a long history of decline, numbers had been slowly recovering, thanks to conservation efforts. However, this year's high mortality and nest failure is a serious setback. The trust has blamed global warming for the many extreme weather patterns in recent years. 'The thought that climate change may significantly hinder the recovery of this national treasure is a huge worry to those concerned with Barn Owl conservationin the UK,' said Mr Ramsden.
