Steve Palin is a lucky man. Across the field at the bottom of his garden is this oak tree which is the nesting site for a pair of Little Owls. He has watched life unfold for these engaging little birds with the aid of a scope from his bedroom window, and was kind enough to let me in on the secret.

Back in April, I set up my hide in the field and it wasn’t very long before one of the owls turned up and gave me a big stare. However, that was it. I left with Steve’s promise to let me know when there were owl chicks around. In retrospect, the female must have been about to lay her first egg. Today, Steve has given me the word and sure enough, there are three chicks active around the nest hole.

One of the adults greets me with the big stare again, but they tolerate me and my hide.