No riding, too frozen, so here's a picture we took in the market in Macclesfield last Sunday. Isn't she the most gorgeous bird you've ever seen? Yes her eyes really were that colour!
Totally tame Jean, she let me and everyone else stroke her. She's an American Eagle Owl and she was there to publicise an owl sanctuary nearby to raise funds for endangered owls.
The weather was OK, not too cold and no wind. But the cloud came down and although I was desperate to ride today the arena was too frozen and the road visibility was unsafe.
Grrrrr.
We went to see War Horse instead. It's OK, a bit of a children't film and I had fun watching Joey's face markings, the length of his back and the height of his bum in relation to his withers change during the film and seeing them ride with stainless steel offset dressage stirrups and stainless steel bits, none of which existed in 1914 :-)
This photo took me back! We had for about 18 months an eagle owl who lived round Rockley, off and on, and we fed him every day to start with - he was obviously an escapee from somewhere but gradually became more and more independent and would only turn up now and again for food. Eventually he didn't come back, and we heard that he had been electrocuted - his wingspan was so huge that he touched 2 live wires at an electricity substation a few miles away :-( He was utterly magnificent, and to see him sitting on a fence outside the kitchen window waiting for chicken wings was something else :-)
I am green eyed with jealousy Nic, what a shame it died. (Allan says it touched a live and an earth, by the way, but you knew he was a pedant, as well as an electrical engineer :-)
LOL! How would I know about lecktricity?! He was gorgeous - and I am wondering now whether he was a she, 'cos the females are bigger, I think. Shame if so, as we spent months calling him/her Mr Owl...(!)
Oh my goodness, what a beauty! Was this a rescue bird, or tame--well, obviously pretty tame--or what? There has to be one fabulous story behind it.
ReplyDeleteThose eyes are so intense!
Totally tame Jean, she let me and everyone else stroke her. She's an American Eagle Owl and she was there to publicise an owl sanctuary nearby to raise funds for endangered owls.
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Very, very cool!
ReplyDeleteGrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
ReplyDeleteThe weather was OK, not too cold and no wind. But the cloud came down and although I was desperate to ride today the arena was too frozen and the road visibility was unsafe.
Grrrrr.
We went to see War Horse instead. It's OK, a bit of a children't film and I had fun watching Joey's face markings, the length of his back and the height of his bum in relation to his withers change during the film and seeing them ride with stainless steel offset dressage stirrups and stainless steel bits, none of which existed in 1914 :-)
This photo took me back! We had for about 18 months an eagle owl who lived round Rockley, off and on, and we fed him every day to start with - he was obviously an escapee from somewhere but gradually became more and more independent and would only turn up now and again for food. Eventually he didn't come back, and we heard that he had been electrocuted - his wingspan was so huge that he touched 2 live wires at an electricity substation a few miles away :-( He was utterly magnificent, and to see him sitting on a fence outside the kitchen window waiting for chicken wings was something else :-)
ReplyDeleteI am green eyed with jealousy Nic, what a shame it died. (Allan says it touched a live and an earth, by the way, but you knew he was a pedant, as well as an electrical engineer :-)
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LOL! How would I know about lecktricity?! He was gorgeous - and I am wondering now whether he was a she, 'cos the females are bigger, I think. Shame if so, as we spent months calling him/her Mr Owl...(!)
ReplyDeleteYus, females is bigger (i've done a whole day falconry course so I's an expert!) That one is a female.
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