Nature features

Over the last six years Tim Page, a ranger with the Upper Waveney Valley Countryside Partnership, and his team of volunteers have put up 180 barn owl boxes along a 27-mile stretch of countryside.

The box had two occupants, February 2009

The scheme has been a success, but Tim says the barn owls could be heading for a difficult time in 2009 due to a shortage in their food supply.

"It's been a funny old year because the short tailed voles that barn owls mainly feed on have had an erratic time because of the weather," Tim said.

"A lot of them have been drowned out by sudden downpours."

Torrential rain caused widespread flooding in Suffolk during February 2009.

"It's one of the hazards of good barn owl territory - a lot of flooded meadows, dykes, ditches - it's great for hunting but is susceptible to rises in the water level which literally drown the voles out, so their numbers can crash."

Tim Page

As well as erecting the nest boxes, Tim and his volunteers also ring the chicks and monitor the population growth. Specific figures are, however, hard to come by as they need to wait until the owl eventually dies before it can been recorded.

And although they are increasing in numbers, another unpredictable year of weather could cause problems.

"In 2008 the owls started breeding earlier than they often do because it was quite a mild spring.

"But then they were caught out by the deluge in May time and we had a lot of abandoned clutches.

"People do see barn owls out hunting during the day but this means they are quite desperate for food."

And the fear is that if the barn owl numbers begin to drop, it will be difficult to turn things around quickly.

"They'll realise the food isn't there so rather than trying to bring up a family and not having food, they literally won't breed."