Our first tawny owl chick took me by surprise when, on 27th April, he/she appeared in the holly bush of next door’s garden. They’re a couple of weeks earlier than previous years. Sitting only a couple of feet off the ground, I was concerned for its safety but mum wasn’t far away keeping watch from the sycamore. There are probably two more youngsters in the box who I can detect from their different squeaky calls so I’m watching for them to branch soon.

As usual, the male parent is taking his job very seriously. He’s watching me from some vantage point as I walk down the garden with the evening meal and within seconds of my placing the chicks on the tree stump, he shoots in over the hedge and snatches his prize. A couple of minutes later when the coast is clear, he drops the chick into the box and then checks out the stump to see if he’s missed anything.

Meanwhile, this morning, mum left the box for a well-earned rest in the top of the apple tree where she can see the box and any wayward chicks.

I’ll update this blog when there are new developments.