Currently the largest independent wildlife creator in the UK and among the most followed in the world, Robert E Fuller of Thixendale, North Yorkshire, has reached the impressive milestone of gaining one million subscribers.
The channel, which combines 24-hour livestreams from animal nests with in-depth films of the animals featured, has 2.8 million average monthly views.
Despite its focus on British wildlife, Mr Fuller’s channel attracts a global audience - with USA, UK, India, Canada, and Indonesia representing the five largest audiences. Fans around the world even book UK holidays around a visit to Mr Fuller’s gallery in the remote village of Thixendale.
Mr Fuller said: “We’ve had to organise transport for people who don’t realise there’s no public transport here – they just want to visit the owls they watch on the channel.
“It’s amazing to think how many people enjoy watching our native British species. I’ve even been contacted by a teacher at a primary school in South Korea whose class watch the owls on my live nest cams.”
Widely recognised for the quality of his nature videography, Mr Fuller’s films also regularly feature on BBC’s The One Show and his latest film, telling the story of a cuckoo chick, is being hailed as the ‘star’ of this year’s Springwatch series.
Mr Fuller said: “Recently the RSPB reported a surge in birdwatching as a hobby and you only have to look how popular Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday celebrations were to see how much people enjoy wildlife and nature content.
“The viewers are so invested in these animal stories they’ve even given the owls and kestrels names, and they come back every year to follow their stories across multiple breeding seasons.
“It’s really heartening to see how emotionally involved the audience is. They celebrate the chicks — and they mourn the losses.”
Among the most-watched video on the channel is a clip of a young barn owl’s reaction to thunder, with 27.7m views, and a film about a kestrel pair’s relentless battle to protect their nest from intruders, with 16.6m views.
Recent films include one about a male barn owl, Tappy, whose talon was injured in a ‘lover’s tiff’ and a jealous female swan chasing her rival across her nest of eggs.
Beyond entertainment, his YouTube channel also aims to educate viewers about animal behaviour and to promote wildlife conservation.
The channel also broadcasts Mr Fuller’s hands-on projects to restore habitat, build wildlife ponds and design bespoke nest boxes that support wildlife in and around his Yorkshire Wolds home.
A committed conservationist, his animal rescue and rehabilitation stories are among the channel’s most watched and represent Mr Fuller’s deep commitment to promoting the need to protect wildlife.
Mr Fuller said: “If a million people care about British wildlife, that’s a million reasons the wild still has a future.”
Visit https://www.robertefuller.com/ to find out more about Robert E Fuller and visit https://www.youtube.com/RobertEFuller to see his YouTube channel.
1. Robert E Fuller's online success
Robert E Fuller is a wildlife artist and filmmaker. Photo: Robert E Fuller
2. Robert E Fuller's online success
Among the most watched videos is Luna the tawny owl adopting rescue chicks. Photo: Robert E Fuller
3. Robert E Fuller's online success
Wildlife rescue stories like this one about a kestrel chick restored to the nest have highest views. Photo: Robert E Fuller
4. Robert E Fuller's online success
Streaming from inside the nest of some barn owl chicks. Photo: Robert E Fuller