Snowy owl breeding hopes fading

The snowy owls may have arrived from North America

A pair of snowy owls which arrived on the Western Isles, possibly from North America, looks less likely to breed.

RSPB Scotland had hoped the owls would produce the first chicks in the UK for more than 30 years.

However, the male has been spotted at Crowlista, Uig, on Lewis - about 50 miles north from the female bird.

The previous pair of snowy owls to breed in the UK was on Shetland in 1975, the wild bird conservation charity said.

The Western Isles' owls had both been on North Uist, before the male headed north.