THE cold spring weather - the wettest May on record - has hit hard at the breeding habits of one of Britain's favourite birds, the tawny owl. A shortage of their normal rodent prey has caused them to hunt more unusual animals - and some pairs have not bothered to mate at all.

Cold comfort for Tawny Owls
Photo: Jill Pakenham / BTO

These are the gloomy results of a nationwide survey by volunteers working for the British Trust for Ornithology, some of whom examine the contents of tawny owl nests. The owls usually prey on field mice, voles and moles but nests have this year been found to contain frogs, birds and - in one unique case - a goldfish!

"Poor weather conditions during the winter made it hard for the owls to hunt. This weather also reduced the size of mouse and vole populations, leading to owls having to feed on more unusual prey such as goldfish," says Dr Dave Leech, Head of the BTO's Nest Record Scheme.

"If the birds start the year in poor condition, they may delay their breeding until the following year when they have more hope of raising a family. This certainly seems to be what we are seeing at the moment with many nest sites deserted and pairs just not breeding."

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