Harry Potter's owl takes flight to Scottish isle
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Rare owls more commonly associated with the frozen wastes of the Arctic, or the magical adventures of Harry Potter, appear to be expanding the range of their natural habitat to a remote Scottish island.
Conservation experts say last summer saw the biggest influx of snowy owls in the Outer Hebrides for more than 30 years.
Officials from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds recorded sightings of up to six of the majestic hunting birds on North Uist in the Western Isles.
The birds, one of the largest owl species in Europe, have become popular in recent years since the author J K Rowling featured them in her series of Harry Potter stories and they were included in the spin-off movies based on the books.
At almost two feet in height, with a wingspan of over five feet and a ghostly white plumage which is offset by intensely bright yellow eyes and heavily feathered feet, the snowy owl makes for an imposing sight as the boy wizard's pet owl, Hegwig, which delivers his post.
Their impressive size is only beaten in Europe by the eagle owl, which has a wingspan of six and a half feet.
Although usually more at home flying over the frozen tundra of the Arctic Circle and living off lemmings in Scandinavia, the snowy owls appear to have found a new home in the Outer Hebrides, and a new source of food in the abundant rabbit population of the island.
The female snowy owl is the bigger of the species, and has slightly mottled dark spots on its breast and wings, while the male is pure white. They nest in a scrape on the ground, and in good years they line the nursery with a store of dead prey.
Last year there were also sightings in Shetland, Wester Ross and Aberdeenshire.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments