Eagle Owl seen locally

Reports have come in from two sources that an Eagle Owl has been seen at Bunsley Bank.

The first report said: "My Mum and Dad spotted an Eagle Owl at Bunsley Bank (far end of Monks Lane) over the weekend.

"They are keen bird watchers so they are certain it was the Eagle Owl, so if it is the same one that caused the cat injuries a while back, he must still be in the area even though there have been no sightings recently."

The second report said: "I was very close to the Eagle Owl, it was in a tree right in front of our house. I watched it for about five minutes before it flew away."

Regular readers will recall that an Eagle Owl was suspected of attacking cats in late 2013. It was only a month ago that we received a report from people who could confirm the identity of that bird – earlier reports had been "suspected".

Eagle Owls are massive birds with an wing span of over six foot. While some birds seen Britain have possibly arrived from Scandinavia and are genuine wild birds, most (and we are talking about very small numbers) are escapes from private owners.

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