From fluffy chicks to birds of prey: The pictures which capture the transformation of growing barn owls

By PHIL VINTER

Smile for the camera: Taken just two months after they were first snapped, this image shows how much the owls have changed in a short space of time

An overprotective mum appears to have literally wrapped her offspring in cotton wool in these stunning pictures.
The young barn owls were snapped by photographer Paul Sawer as they poked their fluffy white heads out of their nest in Saxumundham, Suffolk.
Another picture, taken two months later, show how much the siblings have changed in a short space of time with the downy fur being replaced by a coat of feathers.

Furballs: Photographer Paul Sawer snapped this beautiful photograph of a trio of barn owl chicks as they emerged from their home in Saxumundham in Suffolk

Mr Sawer, 40, said he was lucky enough to capture the youngsters the day before they flew the nest.
He explained: 'I had seen an adult male flying into the nest with a mouse and presumed he was feeding chicks.
'I spent the next few evenings waiting with my camera trained on the nest, days turned to weeks without any sign.

Hungry mouths: An adult Barn Owl brings the chicks some food back to the nest. It is pictured carrying a Common Shrew

'I kept visiting two to three times a week and then I began to hear the familiar hissing of the baby owls calling for food.
'My patience was rewarded when one of the chicks climbed up on to the nest entrance.
'He was soon joined by his sibling and this soon became a trio.
'I would have been happy with a single subject, I was thrilled to get three. I have never photographed two or more together.'
He added: 'A return visit the following evening made me realise how lucky I had been.
'The chicks had fledged and were scattered around the tree, making a shot of them together impossible.'

source: dailymail