Question Author
In later life (again living in a small village in the countryside) my neighbour ran an Animal Rescue Sanctuary to rehabilitate injured wild animals and birds. This gave me the opportunity to see the largest of the owls; the eagle owl. Although not native to Britain, it is a beautiful and amazing creature – and quite a contrast to our native little owl. I have spent my happy hours at the sanctuary and often watched nesting boxes being placed for the owls in the nearby farmers’ outbuildings and in the local woods. Over the years, I have collected a great number of owl ornaments and pictures. So much so, that when I joined AnswerBank, my sister suggested that my username just had to be “owllady” and a natural avatar for me was a barn owl in nightly flight. To me, this avatar captures the essence of owls -- their silence and ghostly aura.