Villager Jim: Moment young owls wait to be fed captured

The four young barn owls look on as their mother hunts for food

An anonymous photographer has captured the "truly special" moment four young owls waited patiently to be fed.

The photographer, who goes under the moniker Villager Jim, took the photos in heavy rain outside a barn in the Peak District.

He described it as a "heart-pounding moment" when he noticed the birds sat together.

His endearing photographs have won praise from thousands of people on social media.

"That will only happen once a year maybe, something amazing like that. It makes every other day worthwhile," he told the BBC.

Villager Jim spent about an hour taking photos of the owls in the rain

Villager Jim, who is based in Eyam, Derbyshire, travels about 40 miles around the Peak District each day to take photos of wildlife.

After spotting the young owls on a previous occasion, the photographer headed back to the barn on Monday.

"These guys I knew were growing up inside this barn," he said.

"I've had one or two on the window sill and then all four were there with the mum 50 to 100 metres behind me, hunting in the field.

"They were there when I came up to the barn and it was a heart-pounding moment where you think 'Please God, do not go away. Don't move, stay there'."

The photographer goes out taking pictures in the Peak District every day

Villager Jim, who some have dubbed the "Banksy of the photographic world" due to his hidden identity, added: "You can't see it in the picture but it's peeing it down with rain.

"There's a golden rule of always go out no matter what the weather is because that wildlife is always still there."

The photographs have been praised by thousands of people on social media