Dr Whoot finds a new nest with Nicola

The Dr Who inspired owl, 'Dr Whoot', from The Big Hoot collection was taken under the wing of Nicola Cotton and is currently in her garage before taking pride of place in a new nursery.

Mrs Cotton, who lives in Romsley, is due to open a new nursery in the former Hagley Police Station building next spring and felt that Dr Whoot would make the perfect accessory.

"I'd seen the owls across Birmingham as part of The Big Hoot, so decided to go along to the auction," she said. "When it came to Dr Whoot to be auctioned the lights were dimmed in the room and the theme tune to Dr Who was played and daleks came out.

"I thought no chance would I have won Dr Whoot as there was a man in front who was bidding on a lot of owls so I thought I would be outbid.

"It got really close and I just ended up putting my sign up and winning him for £10,500 – it was amazing," she added.

The birds went under the hammer on October 15 at Millennium Point, where they raised more than £500,000 for Birmingham Children's Hospital.

Dr Who enthusiast Stephen McKay created Dr Whoot after he was inspired from meeting the show's stars at Dr Who conventions in Birmingham in the 1980s.

Dr Whoot lived at Snow Hill station throughout the summer, where he was sponsored by London Midland.

Mrs Cotton, who runs three other nurseries across the Black Country, added: "We would love to bring Dr Whoot's story to life and use him for fundraising events too.

"He actually will be very apt for the new nursery seeing as the former building was used for a police station," she added.

The Big Hoot saw 89 individually decorated owls - each standing 5ft 5ins tall and made from fibreglass - dotted across Birmingham in a public art project earlier this year.

Visitors flocked from far and wide to explore the city's streets, parks and open spaces where the statues were located.