THREE young barn owls are preparing for their return to the wild just weeks after they faced death in a cold barn in Moray.

Alvin, Simon and Theodore – dubbed the Chick-munks by their rescuers – were rescued at just five week olds on Valentine’s Day, when a farmer in New Elgin alerted the Scottish SPCA after one had fallen from the nest.

A fortnight later, the animal rescue charity was called out again to fetch his brothers. It’s thought they were born up to three months earlier than expected. The trio has been cared for by staff at the Scottish SPCA’s National Wildlife Rescue Centre in Fishcross, near Alloa.

Manager Colin Seddon, said: “When we first got the chicks they weren’t great flyers and certainly wouldn’t have been able to survive on their own in the wild. Having been in our care since mid-February they are now ready to be released back into the wild.

“The barn owls have been placed at a ‘soft’ release site, meaning they’ve been housed in a barn with a meshed viewing area to the outside world. The barn is in an area that provides a suitable habitat for the owls who will be kept in the barn for up to two weeks. They’re free to fly about and learn to catch any mice which find their way in to the barn, but will also be provided food by the landowner.

“In a couple of weeks’ time, when the weather is suitable, the owls will be released. We’ll continue to have food placed in and around the barn to help them adjust to catching their own food in the wild. We’ll also ensure a nesting box is placed on the outside of the barn in the hope of them taking up residence and breeding in the future.”

Barn Owls hunt for field voles or mice, which come out at night and hide in long grass. They cannot see their prey, so have to use their extraordinary hearing to find it. Their ear openings are behind their eyes and one ear is higher than the other, so in flight one captures sound below, the other sound above – enabling them to work out exactly where their next meal is hiding.