Owl too witty to be wooed
A Black Country couple have been entertaining an unusual guest who has called at their home every night for a week.A Black Country couple have been entertaining an unusual guest who has called at their home every night for a week. A tawny owl has tried to perch on James Monaghan's shoulder more than once and eats out of his hand. The animal has even swooped on the youngest of Mr Monaghan and his wife Eileen's three Yorkshire Terriers. RSPCA inspectors have tried but failed to capture the nocturnal bird, which has a leather strap around its ankle and is believed to be tame and unable to fend for itself. Animal lovers Mr Monaghan, aged 65, and wife Eileen, 67, of Coppice Farm Estate, Willenhall, shared their pork supper with him on Christmas Day. Read the full story in the Express & Star
A tawny owl has tried to perch on James Monaghan's shoulder more than once and eats out of his hand.
The animal has even swooped on the youngest of Mr Monaghan and his wife Eileen's three Yorkshire Terriers. RSPCA inspectors have tried but failed to capture the nocturnal bird, which has a leather strap around its ankle and is believed to be tame and unable to fend for itself.
Animal lovers Mr Monaghan, aged 65, and wife Eileen, 67, of Coppice Farm Estate, Willenhall, shared their pork supper with him on Christmas Day.He said: "I'm not a bird watcher but I wouldn't see any harm come to an animal.
"It's beautiful to look at. It looks you directly in the eye and has got lovely big eyes."
The owl first appeared, perching on the back garden fence, on December 22.
Mr Monaghan said: "I heard a flutter, turned round to see what had made the noise and there it was. I didn't know what it was to start with and had to look again."
Since then owl and the couple have forged a bond, despite the visitor not proving popular with their three dogs - Jasper, Bonnie and Judy.
"It will eat out my hand and has tried to land on my shoulder a couple of times but I only had a thin jumper on and it couldn't get stable," said Mr Monaghan.
He contacted the RSPCA and inspectors called round on Christmas Day night to try and tempt the bird down with food but it could not be enticed.
Tawny owls are the size of a pigeon with a rounded body and head, a ring of dark feathers around their face and dark eyes.
They can live to 23 years old in England, Wales and Scotland, but fail to flourish in Ireland.
The Tawny owl's habitat is deciduous and coniferous woodland, farmland, gardens, parks and churchyards.
They are known to eat a variety of small mammals and rodents, as well as small birds, frogs, fish, insects and worms.
An RSPCA spokesman confirmed inspectors had so far been unable to catch the bird but hoped to visit the property again.
By Lyndsey Hunt