TAWNY owls are thriving in one of the region's forests.

A Forestry Commission project, which began in 1980, saw a near-record number of owls laying eggs and chicks being hatched last summer in Kielder Forest, Northumberland.

A total of 110 pairs of owls laid eggs in the study area - centred on Kielder, but also including the Wark, Redesdale and Kershope woods - and 235 chicks successfully fledged.

The scheme, the largest of its kind in the UK, was devised by Dr Steve Petty, formerly with the Forestry Commission, to shed light on how the creature fared in an upland forest.

Previously, it was thought tawny owls may be rare, preferring broadleaf and urban areas to high, spruce woods.

But the Upper North Tyne's open spaces have proved irresistible to the birds in recent decades.

Forest Commission ecologist Tom Dearnley said: "These figures are extremely encouraging.

"The project is revealing another side to a familiar creature. The fact that tawny owls are thriving also tells us something else. They are at the top of the food chain, so if they are doing well, then there must be plenty of small mammals around for them to feed on. That suggests Kielder is maturing into a rich natural environment."

Forest chiefs are working with ornithologists Martin Davidson and Brian Little on the scheme, together with a dedicated band of volunteers.