Birmingham's Big Hoot owls reach final weekend

The Tessellated Triangles owl, by Deven Bhurke, is perched in Colmore Square. It has sat in the city for 10 weeks as part of the city-wide exhibition

Huge decorated owls, part of a city-wide art exhibition, will be removed from positions around Birmingham later.

The Big Hoot has seen 89 owls, 5ft 5ins (165cm) tall and individually designed by professional and amateur artists, perch around the city for 10 weeks.

An app to accompany the project was downloaded over 13,000 times and people have scanned the owls with phones more than 323,000 times, organisers said.

The owls will eventually be auctioned for Birmingham Children's Hospital.

They will go on public display again at Millennium Point on 10 and 11 October, before the auction on 15 October. It is hoped the sale will raise £500,000 for the children's hospital.

Louise McCaffrey, director of fundraising at the hospital, said: "We knew it was going to be adopted and loved by the people of Birmingham, but the success of it is more than we could have hoped for."

Schools designed 122 smaller owls which will not be auctioned off, but returned to them as mementos.

An owl and owlet were placed in the Library of Birmingham in advance of the exhibition. The owls - designed by professional and amateur artists - first appeared on 20 July

The Big Hoot owl, painted by Glenn Anderson, located at Eastside City Park. Any damaged owls will be refurbished before the auction in October

Mr Architect, painted by Sam Pierpoint, sits in the Cube. Organisers decided to use owl statues because the rare Eagle Owl has been spotted in Birmingham

St Philip's Place is where Owl by Night, by Sophie Handy, is located. It is covered in mirrored mosaic with solar-powered LEDs in the base

The owls were not restricted to just Birmingham, seven were placed in Royal Sutton Coldfield