Baby owls rescued from Lancashire water treatment plant

The fluffy tawny owls were rescued by the RSPCA, after they were discovered by a worker at the plant on Friday, March, 13.

RSPCA Animal Collection Officer Heather Cook said: “These gorgeous owlets were small and very young.

“While it’s normal for young tawny owls to explore their surroundings I was quite worried about them. One in particular was not looking too good, so I took them to a local vet to be checked over.”

Tawny owls are known to leave their nests long before they can fly, going through a phase called ‘branching’, where they will explore and climb around the trees at night.

During this phase, baby tawny owls are commonly also seen on the ground. The parents will happily feed them anywhere and they are perfectly capable of climbing back up.

Therefore while it wasn’t a call for concern to see these birds outside their nest, there was concern over the health of these particular owlets, which were found at Wigan Waste Water Treatment Works in Ormskirk.

Heather said: “Luckily the vet was happy that there were no major health concerns, but as a precaution we moved them to the RSPCA’s Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre in Nantwich for further care.

“We’re happy to report that these beautiful birds have made a full recovery and following a successful rehabilitation period at our wildlife centre, the delightful duo are doing so well that we plan to release them back into the wild very soon.”