In 2021, a pair of tawny owls took up residence in a nest box next to the car park for the first time ever.

The residency resulted in three chicks making an appearance thirty days later and the playground area being closed temporarily whilst the three used the neighbouring trees to learn to jump, climb, flutter and finally, fly - much to the delight of visitors to the reserve.

Last year’s tawny owl breeding had more drama than Love Island when a cheeky red squirrel moved itself into the tawny owl nest box and barricaded the doorway with sticks to stop the ousted residents from getting back in, so the owls nested elsewhere with the Hauxley team not seeing the young until they were fully fledged.

This year’s tawny owl coupling produced three chicks who have spent the last three weeks learning to fly around the playground.  They are still nearby, but difficult to see.

Alex Lister, Northumberland Wildlife Trust’s Druridge Bay Landscape Manager says:

“It’s great that the tawny owls have bred again and proof that the maturing woodlands at Hauxley are providing valuable habitat. Meanwhile, the reserve’s new and flourishing Hazel Wood and surrounding fields, which were planted six years ago, are a great place to look for barn owls and other birds.”