One of the owls nursed back to health

Barn owls are unable to hunt when it is raining, and persistent wet and windy weather in the region means that many owls are dying.

The World Owl Trust in Muncaster has set up the unit to nurse rescued owls back to health, before they are returned to the wild.

There are only around 4,000 pairs of barn owls in the country.

Jenny Holden, from the World Owl Trust, said: "Barn owls in particular are not waterproof, so they do not fly or hunt when it is raining.

"So when it is raining, as it has been for a month now, they simply sit inside and starve."

The owl centre at Muncaster is receiving daily calls about dead or dying birds, and it is proving to be their most worrying year for four decades.