BRANCHING OUT

Tawnies hatch chicks early and by the end of April most are ready to leave their nest-hole or box. The downy fluffballs, or ‘branchers’, venture out before they can fly, edging along the tree using bill and talons as grappling hooks. They resemble a bunch of “off-white feather dusters”, remarks Brett Westwood in BBC Radio Four’s Tweet of the Day. But the adults still feed them, even if they clamber to the ground. Once independent, they’ll stay within 4km of the parents’ territory – this is one of the most sedentary bird species in Britain.

GET INVOLVED Expert advice about owl nestboxes: www.barnowltrust.org.uk