A young owl brought back from the brink by gamekeepers has been found flourishing after being released successfully back into the wild in Angus.
The barn owl, nicknamed Otto by its rescuers, was discovered on ground at the edge of a garden, lying beside its dead sibling.
When gamekeepers found the weak owl, they feared starvation, with many species’ prey this year suffering in the late snows which also brought the crippling Beast from the East.
Barn owls, which eat voles, mice and rats, are a Schedule 1 protected species, on conservation’s amber list, and there are only thought to be 4000 pairs in the UK.
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Seventy five per cent of young die in their first year and gamekeepers took the vulnerable bird and immediately placed it within a special box so to avoid it becoming accustomed to humans.
From there, they enlisted the guidance of a professional falconer and started to feed up the fragile owl on food such as diced rabbit and rat five times per day, in between their work on the local grouse moors.
After gaining strength, Otto graduated onto whole mice, specially caught for him in a live trap by the gamekeepers and, when he had moulted his down feathers, he was ready to attempt flight.
Otto was in a terrible state when he was found (Photo: Angus Glens Moorland Group)
Gamekeepers took Otto to the falconer and, by fitting observation cameras in his loft, were able to monitor how the owl was doing with flying and feeding.
When ready and strong, they released Otto back into an area where barn owls had been known to nest, praying he would be safe after all their efforts in rehabilitating him.
Thankfully, gamekeepers are now spotting Otto regularly, close to the area where he was released, and the little owl who looked doomed seems hellbent on survival.
Otto is pictured just before his release (Photo: Angus Glens Moorland Group)
Lianne MacLennan, co-ordinator of Angus Glens Moorland Group, whose members nursed the bird back to health, said: ‘It’s good to see Otto doing well and returning to the place where he was released. There have been quite a number of sightings of him now.’
Gamekeeper Jason Clamp, who was involved in the rehabilitation said: ‘When Otto started taking whole prey, I thought things were looking good. We were giving him mice and small rats to mimic what he would have naturally in the wild.
‘It was interesting watching his progress when it came to flying and feeding, on the cameras. He became more active and fed after 2am.
‘It is great to see him back in the wild where he belongs now because we didn’t know if he would make it. We’ll keep an eye on him over the coming months.’
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