Long-lying snow cover has taken its toll of barn owls in Northumberland. Barn owls have been slowly recovering after hitting a population low 20 years ago .
More than 400 nest boxes have been put up for the birds in Northumberland in the last 10 years,
But the recent snow and ice has hit the birds hard, with 15 dead owls having been found so far.
But this number is thought to be only the tip of the iceberg.
The problem is especially bad in the uplands which have seen deep snow for several weeks and where areas are still covered.
There are thought to be between 250 and 500 breeding pairs of barn owls in the county.
They are unable to hunt their small mammal prey successfully when there is snow cover and after three to four weeks can die in large numbers.
Barn owl expert Brian Galloway, who lives in Westerhope in Newcastle, said: "The barn owls have been having a terrible time.
"There will be a lot of dead birds lying around that people will never find.
"They hunt small mammals like mice, vole and shrews in grassland and if there is snow cover for a long time they are absolutely snookered."
Brian said that the dead birds were 50% down on their normal body weight. They normally eat between five and 10 small mammals a day. "If they are not getting any food because of the snow and there is nothing in them during a very cold night, they are not going to survive," said Brian.
"What has helped is that nest boxes have been placed in large barns where you will get an influx of small mammals during very cold weather, but this will only keep the birds going for a while."
Northumberland National Park Authority is asking people to report any dead barn owls that they come across - especially ringed birds.
The information derived from rings, such as how far the birds travel and lifespan, can help experts understand more about them.
Birds should be placed in a sealed plastic bag and taken to a national park centre either at Rothbury or Once Brewed on Hadrian's Wall.
Alternatively the information on the ring can be sent to the British Trust for Ornithology.
Since the 1950s, the barn owl population has suffered from the loss of hedgerows and small woodlands and the trend for turning old barns into houses. With the disappearance of these habitats of the small mammals that are the bird's staple diet, the birds' numbers crashed, reaching an all-time low in the late 1990s.
As a low-flying bird, the remaining population has been further reduced by the increase in motor traffic and trunk roads cutting across its hunting grounds.
Northumberland National Park Authority has been supporting barn owls through the wildlife-friendly farmers of the Coquet Valley, Redesdale, Breamish and along the Hadrian's Wall corridor since 2004.
Volunteers survey hunting grounds, install owl boxes in viable places and monitor populations.
Anyone with barn owls roosting in an outbuilding can leave a little animal feed or grain in an open area in the building to attract mice .
(This weather is wreaking havoc every where) 
