The first barn owl egg of 2024 has hatched in Weymouth to the delight of nature lovers.

A nesting pair of barn owls laid four eggs at Lorton Meadows Nature Reserve on Lorton Lane last month.

A spokesperson for Dorset Wildlife Trust said: "The first barn owl egg of 2024 has hatched. 

"The chick, which hatched last night (Tuesday, April 23) is being well cared for by the female.

"The male is supplying food as we can see by the vole offerings in the box, and hopefully this bodes well for a good food supply this year.

"We can probably expect to see more eggs hatch in the next few days, so keep watching the live feed for the next arrival."

Anyone can tune in at any time to witness first-hand the behaviour of the barn owls, including preening, mating and feeding.

Webcam followers are encouraged to comment on the dedicated barn owl webcam Facebook page to share what they’ve seen and help build a picture of how the pair are getting on.

You can watch the barn owls and their growing family on a 24-hour live feed on the Dorset Wildlife Trust website.