Rescued baby owl being nursed back to health

A baby owl who was found under a tree is being nursed back to health.

The Little Owl was spotted by a member of the public and is now being cared for by Secret World in Somerset.

The Sedgemoor-based charity - which has been running since 1995 - said the animal was alert, which was a good sign.

After round-the-clock feeds, the charity said the bird was getting ready to fledge.

Little Owls were first introduced into the UK in the 1800s, but the Woodland Trust said populations had dropped 18% since 1995.

The trust said the reason for this decline was unclear, but it was believed to be linked to intensive farming methods.

The owl will be gradually released back into the wild through a series of aviaries

Secret World said it usually rescued a couple of Little Owls each year, and was currently looking after two of the birds.

Speaking of the latest arrival, Emma Ormiston from the charity said he would be put into a series of aviaries.

"They're kept in a large aviary to start with, the land owner keeps an eye on them, gives them some food.

"When they're 100% ready, we let them go," she added.