Tawny owl chicks are making good progress at an animal welfare charity's centre after being left for dead.

The two chicks are at the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) in Fife after their nest was taken over by jackdaws.

The baby owls were discovered at the falconry centre in Cumbernauld. The jackdaws had claimed their nest and the days-old chicks were found underneath almost a foot of new bedding that the birds had laid on top of them.

The SSPCA were called to free the chicks from the nest and then transport them to the wildlife rescue centre at Middlebank near Dunfermline where they are making steady progress.

The owls have been named Fiona and Greig after local Scottish SPCA Senior Inspector Fiona Greig who rescued them.

They have been joined in the aviary by a third tawny owl chick who was found on a footpath at the base of a tree.

Centre Manager Colin Seddon said in a statement: "The tawny owl chicks have made great progress in the three weeks they've been here and are now looking fantastic.

"We hand fed them when they first arrived and have now move them in to the aviary where we are giving them space to develop and become independent owls.

"They are now feeding themselves and showing all the signs that they will be ready to return to the wild in the not too distant future.

"Once they have reached the right weight and condition we will find a suitable site to release them."