First owl in world’s largest public collection snapped with group’s newest chick

By Ellie Forbes via SWNS

These adorable pictures show the first owl in the world’s largest collection on public display – as it was snapped next to the group’s newest chick.

Tawny owl Hosking, 20, was the first bird to be part of the collection started by ornithologist Rod Angus and his wife Niccy, both 62, in 2002.

They began touring Highland Shows with Hosking to test the idea of displaying owls in public and opened the Scottish Owl Centre in 2005 after seeing their popularity.

The center moved to its current home in West Lothian in 2011 and now houses 150 owls and 45 different species – the largest collection on public display in the world.

Common scops Groot, 18 months, is the latest addition to the display team.

The fluff ball stands at just 19cm tall next to Hosking who measures 46cm in height.

Rod said they started from humble beginnings with Hosking, who was named after bird photographer Eric Hosking, but is delighted to celebrate the 20-year milestone.

Rod said: “It’s been 20 years since the inception of our idea to display owls publicly.

Hosking the twenty-year-old female Tawny Owl (pictured on right), celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Scottish Owl Centre with Groot the 18-month-old male Common Scops owl. (Katielee Arrowsmith via SWNS)

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“We started out touring Highland Shows to see if it would work and then opened our first center in Campbeltown in 2005, before moving to out current home in 2011.

“Hosking has been with us from the very beginning, she has been in every display we have done.

“We always thought she was a male but found out we were wrong when she laid eggs a few years ago.

“Groot in the latest addition to the display team.

“He was born 18 months ago as part of our breeding program of common scops.

“We started from humble beginnings, but we now have a huge collection with more than 45 different species of owl.

“There are 150 owls at the center, it’s the largest collection of owls on public display in the world.

“I think the center has had a big impact on people over the 20 years and helped raise a lot of awareness.

“People only maybe see an owl once or twice in a lifetime and it’s normally only for a split second, but here they get to appreciate them.

“It’s very humbling to have reached this milestone, it’s been a work of love.”