Owls

This afternoon, after lunch (roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, roast potatos, boiled Savoy cabbage, swede mashed with butter), I went to look round an owl sanctuary.



Above: I am familiar with owls from the ones who live in the surrounding countryside (including a white owl that flies around in daylight near the house) and also from stuffed exhibits in museums and galleries. This is a Victorian example of an English barn owl. Stuffed owls are increasingly rare in public museums given the current public sector mania for political correctness which has censored these objects for some reason.



Above: they had a live English barn owl at the sanctuary and because things were quiet (I was the only visitor) the attendant took it out to show me. English barn owls feed on rabbits, rodents and frogs. Their wings have developed so that they can fly almost completely silently (apart from an occasional screech).



Above: Great Grey Eagle Owl, found throughout northern Europe (but under threat). Eats voles, shrews and mice. I was completely unprepared for the intelligent way owls look at you with their beautiful eyes, calm and appraising (but also shy - often they would turn their heads 180 degrees and look the other way).



Above: European Eagle Owl, no longer found in the United Kingdom. Largest owl in the world, it has a wingspan of up to 6 feet. Feeds at night, and makes its home in cliff faces, gorges and crags (the feathers provide camoflage for this habitat).



Above: the European Eagle Owl was persecuted into extinction in the British Isles, but it was once common until the later part of the nineteenth century. Occasionally you find evidence of their previous existence, like this ceramic in a church in the county. Possibly they could be reintroduced (one fo the good things about the recession is that wildlife is being given a reprieve from the relentless pace of "development" - the collapse of the housing market has its advantages!).



Above: I am fascinated by this heraldic "achievement" which I photographed at a church in a heathland village. The supporters are green parrots, and the quarterings show parrots and owls (you might need to click on the image to see the details). Perched on top of the coronet is a grey owl and a pelican.

I have read The Owl Service by Alan Garner, but I haven't seen this series, which was made back in the '60s: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TYzD7yK494