Chris Sperring from the Hawk and Owl Trust said the loss of traditional nesting sites meant about four out of five barn owl pairs now bred in boxes.

BBC: Barn owl at a farm

Yet this was like no owl I had ever heard before: not the furry hoot of a tawny or the screech of a barn owl.

BBC: England��s ghostly South Downs Way

Until the recent bad weather, the Yorkshire Wolds was considered a stronghold for the barn owl.

BBC: New hope for East Yorkshire barn owl population

Wildlife experts believe it could take up to 18 months before a barn owl moves into a nest box.

BBC: Barn owl at a farm

This might be a blackbird in your garden or a barn owl down the road - all are important!

BBC: Cambridgeshire - Autumnwatch: Get closer to nature

Last year, a barn owl was found dead after apparently becoming trapped in a lantern on a farm in Berkeley.

BBC: Gloucestershire NFU welcomes Chinese lantern inquiry

The last surviving barn owl at a Driffield nature reserve has found a mate and produced a brood of five chicks.

BBC: New hope for East Yorkshire barn owl population

More than 90 nest boxes have been put up as part of a project to help boost barn owl numbers in Somerset.

BBC: Barn owl at a farm

Somewhere near Amberley, a barn owl lifted from a stand of phragmites.

BBC: England��s ghostly South Downs Way

"I have every belief that we will ultimately be increasing the barn owl population of Somerset and helping a diversity of other wildlife along the way, " Mr Sperring added.

BBC: Barn owl at a farm