Three little owls plus one makes a family...

There will be cameras hidden inside the box so that I can watch as these owls bring up their young.

Britain’s smallest owl, a little owl stands at just 20cm tall and has piercing yellow eyes topped with light-coloured ‘brows’ that make it look as if it is permanently frowning.

This ‘cross’ expression is so endearing, I’ve painted them many times. As a boy, I even had a pet little owlet that would hold my paintbrushes for me.

Named Gizmo, I took him in after he fell from his nest at just three weeks old. Nowadays, I would always try to return a chick to its nest rather than hand rear it.

Which is how it was that I came upon a little owl family earlier this year. A neighbouring farm worker told me of an owlet that had fallen from its nest.

I set out to investigate and soon spotted the chick at the base of an ash tree. One of its eyes was closed, clearly infected, so I took it home for treatment.

I was curious to see if belonged to a larger brood and so I set up a hide opposite the ash tree and returned that night to watch.

As I settled into position, three tiny owl heads appeared at the entrance to the nest.

They bobbed up and down as they took in the view. Their heads nodded so vigorously, they banged against the top of the nest entrance. I had forgotten how much I loved watching little owls until this moment.

'Three tiny owl heads appeared...' Picture: Robert Fuller

The peace was shattered by the raucous call of a crow.

The crow landed in the tree above the three chicks, and as it did so all three owlets peered upwards into the canopy, their eyes dilating and their feathers tightening against their bodies.

From a hawthorn bush to my left, I heard an adult little owl call out a shrill warning and the chicks rushed for cover.

There was a flurry of feathers and fluff as they all tried to fit back through the small entrance hole at once and then at last, they were safely back in the nest.

The crow took off and an adult little owl came into view. I watched it settle on a nearby branch and carefully preen its feathers.

Abruptly, it paused its preening and peered hard at the grass beneath my hide. Then the owl flew down, caught an orange underwing moth and carried it back up in its beak to feed the chicks.

The chicks appeared back at the nest entrance and devoured the snack.

I spent the next two weeks watching this brood and was even there to see the chicks take their first, short, test flights around the ash tree.

Occasionally one would fall to the ground and climb right back up the tree, using its sharp talons to cling to the bark and flapping its wings as it fly-walked back to safety.

I have seen little owl chicks do this before and never fail to be amazed at their skill. If they get tired, they simply hook their beaks into the bark to pause, before continuing to scale a vertical trunk.

By now, the owlet with the eye infection was well enough to return to the nest. I was worried its family may now not accept it, but the owlet scurried back through the entrance hole as if it had never been away.

I retreated to my hide to watch, feeling hopeful. But my mood soon changed when the adult male arrived and began pecking at the feet of this newly returned chick.

I watched, helplessly as he leant over and pushed at the chick with his head. After half an hour the adult was calmer and began to feed grubs and worms to the chicks, but I noticed it wasn’t giving any to the owlet I had reintroduced to the nest.

This chick flew up into the tree and the adult followed it and resumed its aggressive pecking of the chick.

The poor chick chittered in protest but then something amazing happened. Gradually, and ever so gently, the headbutting turned to preening.

I let out a huge sigh of a relief when the chick flew back to the nest and the adult then fed it.

I can’t wait to begin installing my new nest box so that I can watch the action inside a little owl nest.

I have seen little owls flying through the woodland where I plan to place it and with some luck one pair will choose my box to bring up their brood so I can watch and share the action on my cameras this year.

You can watch Robert Fuller's unique nest camera footage live on his YouTube channel, Robert E Fuller.

The owl that got its dates mixed up...

Last month, I recorded rare footage of a tawny owl laying its first egg.

The owl, nicknamed Luna, was filmed on cameras hidden inside a purpose-built nest at my home in Thixendale.

I was delighted’ although very surprised when Luna laid her first egg on Monday, January 25. Tawny owls usually lay their eggs in March so it is very unusual for them to lay in winter time.

Although it is very early for a tawny owl to lay eggs in winter, it’s not unheard of, and I’m looking forward to seeing her complete the clutch. It means we could have tawny owl chicks to watch here at Fotherdale by the end of February.

Luna will continue to lay eggs until her clutch is complete.

For a chance to glimpse these tawny owl eggs as they are laid watch my YouTube Owl Livestream here: https://youtu.be/v8nW_wtAhzc