Uncommon residents of the farmland edges of the town.

In the early nineteenth century Little Owls were occasional visitors to Britain from the continent. In the latter half of that century they were successfully introduced to the Country. The first Little Owl recorded in Hertfordshire was shot at Ashwell in 1877, and they first bred in the County in 1897.

Several Little Owls were shot at Stevenage in 1906. The Bird Notes for 1907 contains the following note by Mr S. Maples (Stevenage) from the, “Zoologist” September 1907, “On September 20th a ‘keeper shot one (Little Owl) at Stevenage at about 5 o clock in the afternoon. This was brought to me and is now in my collection. It proved on dissection to be a female but is in very bad plumage. I have since heard from the same Keeper that there are some more Little Owls in the neighbourhood and that they have taken to a tree covered with Ivy: If this is the case it would be reasonable to suppose that they have nested here”. Foster (1914) described them as, “common in the Stevenage district”. In 1919 a Mr Meiklejohn recorded that he had a Little Owls’ nest at Stevenage containing five eggs and, regarded it as an exceptional clutch.

In the 1950s Little Owls were, considered to be the commonest Owl of North Hertfordshire.

The 1973 Breeding Atlas confirmed breeding from one of Stevenage’s tetrads (that covering Knebworth) and probable breeding from two others, the 1992 Atlas considered breeding as probable from seven tetrads, but no confirmed breeding and, the 2012 only considered possible breeding from one tetrad (that covering Bragbury End).

The 2012 Winter Atlas confirmed their presence from the tetrad covering Knebworh.

Little Owls can be found on the edges of the town, and until quite recently were frequently seen along the Watton Road between Knebworth and Bragbury End (the latest record of a bird seen near the Crematorium on 6 July 2012).

In the 1960s two dead birds seen on a Gamekeepers, “gibbet” in a spinney near Box Wood in 1965, one at Mossbury on 24 April 1966, two at Colestrete on 7 July 1966, one in Danestrete on 20 May 1967 and one at Astonbury in April 1968 and on 24 April 1969.

The records for the 1970s are: Astonbury 31 January 1970, 1 March 1970 and 5 April 1970; one at Watery Grove on 4 May 1972; one at Symonds Green on 28 February 1974; Aston End September 1976; one at Astonbury on 19 June and 3 September 1977 and, two, possibly three on 7 August 1977; Holbrook Farm, Aston June and July 1977; one at Astonbury Wood on 23 April 1978; seen in the meadow adjoining Astonbury Wood on 28 January 1979; one being mobbed at Astonbury Wood on 11 March 1979; one at Astonbury Wood on 1 April 1979; one at Aston 24 June 1979.

During the 1980s: one seen at Watery Grove in 1980; two at Astonbury in February and August 1980; one by Collenswood School on 14 June 1981; one at Holbrook Farm, Aston on 14 November 1981; one at the Lister Hospital on 6 June 1982; breeding proven from Stevenage in 1983; a leucistic (white) bird at Box Wood in June 1984; one at Astonbury Wood on 18 February 1985.

Only two records during the 1990s: possible breeding at Aston End 1990; a pair at Norton Green in 1993.

The records since 2000 are: two at Astonbury Wood in 2001; one by the Golf Club Entrance on 28 May 2005; two at Watery Grove on 30 July 2005; up to three at Aston in 2006; one at an unrecorded location on 16 June 2008; one at Astonbury on 8 December 2012; two at Norton Green on 29 March 2014; two calling at Aston End on 4 January 2015; one heard at Aston End on 11 September 2016; one at Chesfield Park on 23 July 2018; up to five seen at Lord’s Farm, Aston End between 6 and 26 July 2019; two at Lord’s Farm on 8 February 2020; one at Aston End 7 May 2020 and recently fledged bird(s) there on 23 June 2020; single bird seen at Lord’s Farm during June 2020 and on 7 December 2020; one at Lord’s Farm on 19 June and 8 July 2022.