In reply to Rog Wilko:
I know of two pairs of barn owls 20 mins from my house in Standish, Wigan. I reckon they’re another bird doing well, possibly from farmers installing nest boxes and maybe those farmers leaving some field edges. If you’re passing by, happy to share details.
BUT: I was chatting to Jarrod - site manager of Leighton Moss - and barn owls regularly seen from the hide before the Eric Morecambe. He’s seen them on the posts right next to the hide. He’s the guy who photographed the Merlin actually in the hide - it chased a meadow pipit and both flew through the opened hide window, inches from his head. The Merlin landed on the hide floor, so he threw his jacket over it and set it free.