Spot the owl!

I attended a Woodland Trust volunteer day and there was a bird of prey demonstration given by the superb guy who runs the National Falconry School.

https://youtu.be/TVcWsLaSkus

The birds, in order of appearance are a Little Owl; a Barn Owl; a Verreaux's Eagle Owl; a Nightjar (from Australia); a Peregrine Falcon x Gyr Falcon; and a Harris's Hawk. He said that the falcon is a diva, but when she flies he would forgive her everything. She works on airfields. The hawk, he says, is the cleverest of the birds, along with eagles.

Now, I have a feeling, or, rather, I know, that many of the people engaged in the kind of research that my papers cover would see this as very bad, very wrong, very unethical.

I understand... the birds lose their freedom, their natural parenting, their agency. Also, many dead creatures are fed to them. Also, they engage in hunting for human entertainment.

At the same time, I am so passionately interested and intrigued.

The man said that from a very early age you get a real sense of the personality of the birds.

Oh yes, and the front page, the Verreaux's Eagle Owl was blown by the breeze into the long grass and then called for the man to rescue her!