A family of extremely rare giant eagle owls has set up home in a secluded woodland deep in Harry Potter country.

The hulking Hedwigs, which have a wingspan of more than six feet, have nested close to the castle used on film as the teenage wizard's Hogwarts home.

The magnificent birds - believed to be a female and two chicks - were captured on secret camera by a photographer who spotted the chicks in the hollow of a tree.

Photographer Rachel Smith snapped a series of pictures of the European Eagle Owls, which are not native to Britain.

European Eagle Owls grow to a height of two-and-a-half feet, have a wingspan of nearly six feet and can weight nine pounds.

They also have a large beak, enormous talons and striking orange eyes, all of which aid hunting their prey of rabbits hares and other birds.

Rachel first spotted the owl and its young in May and has monitored their progress ever since.

She said: "I heard a strange noise and looked inte direction that it come from and saw a hollow in a tree.

"When I peered in there was two baby owls looking back at me.

"They had strange shaped heads with two bumps on either side which looked like little horns. "I decided to watch out for them and by Julie theywere beginning to fly, but it was only when my husband and I finally saw the parent bird we realised what they were."

Rachel added: "It was absolutely huge. When it took off the whole woodland just erupted with noise. "Its wings were batting off the branches.

"It was just awesome. I was quite scared. It is not a creature you expect to see in Northumberland."

Eagle owls are highly adaptable birds, and are found living from the deserts of North Africa to the snowy mountains of the arctic.

RSPB spokesman Graham Madge said it was one of ornithology's greatest mysteries why they are not found naturally in Britain.

He said: "They can survive here very well but they are not a native species.

"It is an enigma. Perhaps it is to do with the fact we are an island and the birds don't like to cross masses of water."

The popularity of teenaged wizard Harry Potter has increased demand for pet owls, animal welfare experts said. But the birds were being put at risk when owners tire of them and release them into the wild.

The young wizard has a pet owl in the hugely popular books and films.

The most popular would-be pets are barn owls, which breed easily in captivity.

But Gay Christie, who runs Hessilhead Wildlife Rescue Trust in Beith, Ayrshire, a charity which treats injured birds and animals, said: "I think a lot of people let them go, thinking they will have a better life in the wild, but it is illegal to release a captive-bred barn owl.

"Barn owls have often been taken away from their parents and fed by people - they are imprinted by people so their chances of hunting in the wild are very small and they often do not mix with other owls.

The eagle owl is the giant of all European owls and can grow to be more than 70 centimetres long with a total wingspan of nearly two metres - twice the length and four times the bulk of a tawny owl.

It is usually found in North Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Europe. The bird is extremely rare in Britain but some have been seen in the Scottish Highlands.

Like most owls, the eagle owl hunts at night.

It will catch mice, voles, rabbits, hares, other birds and even crabs in coastal areas. The bird's feathers are flecked in shades of brown and black helping it to camouflage itself when roosting during the day.

Manager of the Kielder Bird of Prey Centre, Ray Lowden, said the mother bird was 'almost definately' an escaped or released pet which had gone wild.

Ray, 50, of Gateshead, said: "It is probably an escapee. Either that or somebody who has had the bird as a pet has decided for whatever reason to release them.

"European Eagle Owls were wiped out in Britain about 150 years ago - they were all shot or poisoned.

"There is an awful lot of them in captivity and they are prolific breeders.

This means, unfortunately, that breeders sell them on for silly sums.

"A young female is very inexpensive - about £80 to £100 pounds.

"A female eagle owl with a four-and-a-half foot wingspan is more than capable of killing a fox or a roe deer. I wouldn't like to say what it could do to a dog or a cat.

"Almost definately, somebody has got tired of the bird or it has escaped and then bred in the wild with another escapee, and has adapted well to where it is living.

"It is highly unlikely it would have escaped when pregnant.

"It must have found a place where there is plenty of food about, particularly as it has raised two chicks. They eat a lot.

"For it to have adapted so well means it is probably a parent-reared adult eagle owl which has not been handled much or flown in a demonstration.

"If I was after one to fly then I'd buy a ten week old chick which I'd hand rear. This bird would become and 'imprint' - a bird which literally thinks I'm and owl and it's a human.

"Despite what you see on Harry Potter, Owls don't make good pets, particularly not parent-reared ones.

"They are not intelligent creatures and will perch for 23 hours a day then spend the last hour squawking for food.

"People buy them and then quickly get bored of them.

"It is brilliant the bird and its chicks are doing so well. I don't know what the authorities think about it but I hope it does not get shot."