Owl stretching time: These baby tawny owls will be spending the Whitsun bank holiday at Tiggywinkles wildlife hospital in Buckinghamshire after being rescued by the workers there
* Owner fears last year's storms causing trees to fall may be reason
* Orphans are aged between four days and two weeks
Britain's owl population is still suffering the consequences of last winter's wet and windy weather months later.
Staff at Tiggywinkles wildlife hospital in Haddenham, Buckinghamshire, have rescued 31 owls which had fallen from trees, compared with just two of the young birds of prey last year.
Les Stocker, Tiggywinkles founder, said: 'I am worried as last year we had just two owls in and this year we now have 31. Perhaps the storms taking out old trees might have something to do with it.
'Adult owls have been forced to seek new nest sites that aren't as secure. The babies then fall out onto the ground.
'My worry is that this is only in my catchment area. How many more are going to be lost across the country?'
Mr Stocker said that the orphans are aged between four days and two weeks and were rescued over a short period of time.
They were all found on the ground in areas such as Milton Keynes, Henley on Thames, High Wycombe, Amersham and Tring.
Suffering from starvation and dehydration they were given specialist care for the first 24 hours and are likely to be realised in the autumn, Mr Stocker added.
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