WILDLIFE ARTIST EXHIBITS REAL ESTATE - FOR BARN OWLS

A Yorkshire wildlife artist is celebrating the success of his latest venture into an unusual form of real estate – he has just finished building his 100 th home for barn owls.

The Swiss chalet-style nesting boxes are now to be found dotted across the north Yorkshire countryside - and already some 50pc are occupied.

Robert Fuller, of Thixendale, north Yorkshire , began building the boxes in 2006 in a bid to address a serious decline in the habitat of barn owls in the area.

These popular birds lost their traditional farmyard homes in the rush to convert barns into family homes and in the need to modernise working barns.

Now Mr Fuller is redressing the balance. His work, which is in support of the charity, The Wolds Barn Owl Group, of which he is a founding member, provides safe alternative homes for barn owls.

The new nesting boxes will be the focus of an exhibition at his gallery in Thixendale next week (June 7 to 15 th ).

They will be on display alongside Mr Fuller's paintings, a photographic exhibition, and a display of newly-dissected pellets and other educational material to help wildlife lovers spot these shy birds in the wild.

“The barn owl has been in decline until quite recently. It is now starting to show signs of a comeback thanks to the recent efforts of farmers and stewardship schemes which encourage rough grasslands to be preserved,” Mr Fuller said of the Wolds Barn Owl Group's project.

“We have been very successful in our first year. It's so rewarding to see the boxes occupied. I now hope that a new generation of owls return next year, when I look forward to building the next 100 boxes.”

Mr Fuller enjoys international recognition for his intimate knowledge and detailed depictions of wildlife. In this country his paintings are favoured by the National Trust and the RSPB.

“I've always had a particular affinity for barn owls and they often feature in my paintings – it's nice now to give something back,” he said.

Visitors to the exhibition can expect a wildlife extravaganza. Mr Fuller travels the world collecting information for his paintings and alongside his barn owl paintings there will also be paintings and photographs from all over the world – from tigers prowling the Indian jungle to penguins slipping on the Antarctic ice.

He will also be throwing open the doors to his studio during the exhibition so that visitors can see how he works.

The Robert Fuller Gallery's summer exhibition will run from Saturday, June 7 to Sunday June 15. The gallery at Fotherdale Farm, Thixendale, Malton, North Yorkshire , will be open everyday between 11am to 4.30pm .