Rooftop home for eagle owl
By Ruby Kitchen
A MASSIVE owl with a six-foot wingspan has taken up residence on a Pateley Bridge roof.
The magnificent creature is an eagle owl, reportedly big enough to carry off a cat or a lamb, and is keeping residents awake with its distinctive hoot.
Spotted last week in Springfield Way, and the churchyard earlier in the week, the beautiful bird has been perched on the roof of a Millfield Street care home for the past few days.
Neighbour Peter Scott said: "It seems comfortable enough, it's coo-cooing away.
"It's now resident in Pateley Bridge, hopping from house to house."
He said the bird is about 2ft tall, with a 6ft wingspan, and would be capable of carrying off a small deer.
"It's a beautiful animal," he said. "My main concern is that is it may need looking after."
The Nidderdale Herald's resident wildlife expert, Nigel Heptinstall, said the eagle owl posed little threat to pets as it favoured rabbits and rats.
He believes the bird is a wild one, and may be one half of a mating pair which has lived in North Yorkshire for years. Alternatively, he said, it could be one of their offspring.
"If it's calling, which it is, it could be looking for a mate," he said. "In which case, it should be on its way soon enough."
To have a wild eagle owl in England is very rare, they are native to northern Europe and are more often found in captivity.
"It's a very small risk to pets," said Mr Heptinstall.
"There has been a pair living in North Yorkshire for years, and nobody has reported anything. This suggests that it is not in their nature."
Birds of prey are protected under British law. Mr Heptinstall has centered his monthly column, due to appear in next Friday's edition, on the bird, its nature, and roots.
ruby.kitchen@ypn.co.uk
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Weather for Harrogate
Monday 21 May 2012
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