Owl lovers are warning that barn owls in Braydon Forest near Minety are struggling to survive following last winter’s freezing temperatures.

Barn owls prey on small rodents but the blanket of snow that covered much of the landscape early last year made it almost impossible for the owls to locate and catch them.

Paul Darby of the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust said this winter’s cold snap compounded the snowfall of 2010.

He said: “We surveyed barn owl nest boxes in the Braydon Forest area of north Wiltshire and found that only half were used for rearing chicks last summer compared to recent years. Unfortunately these beautiful birds are likely to have been given yet another hard knock by the frosts and snowfall of December.

“Of the 20 or so boxes in the Braydon Forest project area that were checked and cleaned out, only four showed signs that the owls had bred, compared with eight in 2008.

“If they can’t find enough food adults will fail to reach the condition needed to breed and raise a family, or even worse they die of starvation.”

The Landscapes for Wildlife Project, run by the Trust covers 8,000 hectares stretching from Charlton to Minety and is working with landowners and farmers to help them manage their land for the benefit of wildlife.

Mr Darby said: “We encourage them to allow rough grassland to grow around field edges and along ditches and streams under the Government’s agri-environment grant schemes.”