The Wolds Way Owl Trust

Owls for Adoption

Dusty and Dylan - Great Grey Owls

We are very proud of our Great Grey Owls. Dusty has been with us since we opened the centre in 2013 and we have been trying to find her a mate for a long time. Her brother takes part in the flying displays at Longleat Safari Park but she is quite shy so we keep her handling to a

minimum and admire her at a distance so as not to cause her undue stress. Dylan came to us a little later and is younger than Dusty. He

adores her though and we are hopeful that these two will produce some babies very soon. You may be lucky enough to see them sitting side by

side, nuzzling and preening each others feathers.

Edward – European Eagle Owl

Edward was in very poor condition when he came to us, having been

kept in a flat and tethered to a coffee table. However, we are pleased

to report that after six months with us he was fighting fit again and

has been re-trained to fly in our daily displays. Edward is very chatty

and will happily ‘hoot’ hello to you if you stop by his aviary for a visit.

Sandy - Barn Owl

Sandy is quite a celebrity and enjoys regular trips out to meet his many fans! He recently decided to take a couple of days off to explore South Cave on his own and after an appeal to all of our friends on Facebook

we had people out everywhere looking for him.

We hand reared this beautiful owl after he was abandoned in captivity by his parents so we were very upset and worried that he would not survive without our care. Thankfully he returned home of his own

accord, hungry and cold but none the worse for wear after his adventure!

Sandy is now back in his new home and is a firm favourite with the

children when we visit local schools to spread the word on conservation.

Luther and Alice - British Long Eared Owls

These are a fine pair of Long Eared Owls seldom seen in the wild in our countryside today. These birds are on loan from the International

Centre for Birds of Prey in Gloucestershire and are one of only a handful of pairs in captivity in the UK.

Niles and Daphne - American Great Horned Owls

These magnificent Great Horned Owls were confiscated from a member of the public who was keeping them in unsuitable conditions. Since arriving here their feathers have improved along with their general

fitness. These owls are very aggressive and do not make good pets. In fact, these are the only species of owl ever recorded to have killed a

human being!

Zoobin - African Spotted Eagle Owl

When Zoobin arrived he had a damaged wing and needed first aid and a period of complete rest. Within a month the wing had healed and he

could close it again properly. He is now settled into his new life and we are pleased to report he is fit and healthy. We don’t know exactly how

old Zoobin is but suspect he may be the oldest resident of the centre.

Twiggy – Bengal Eagle Owl

Twiggy has been with us for a long time and is quite tame. She is a

‘working’ owl and helps us out from time to time with our fundraising

efforts and, together with Edward , Ozzy, Wilber and Sandy, is a

regular visitor to local schools. She is a beautiful example of a ‘light

phase’ Bengal Eagle Owl with her champagne coloured plumage and

bright orange eyes.

Shaggy and Scooby – Bengal Eagle Owls

We do not know much about this pair of owls. They have been

described as a ‘bonded’ pair and certainly seem very happy together.

Scooby is a prolific egg layer although is not the best mother! For the

first time this year we removed two of Scooby’s eggs for incubation and

are pleased to report that we have reared a healthy baby named Elsa!

Diggory – Burrowing Owl

Diggory has been donated by the International Bird of Prey Centre in

Gloucester and has already proved to be a big hit with our visitors. He

is quite tame and will happily take food from a gloved hand before

disappearing into his underground burrows. In the wild Burrowing

Owls can mimic the sound of a rattlesnake to protect themselves from

predators – don’t think that he will have much need to practice that

skill here in sleepy South Cave!

Sky – Snowy Owl

Sky is a beautiful example of the much admired Snowy Owl. This

breed has suffered in captivity in recent years due to the popularity of

Harry Potter . This has resulted in many inexperienced falconers trying

to train Snowy Owls. We always remind our visitors that owls are

incredibly hard to train and can be very dangerous in the wrong hands.

Why not adopt one of ours and let us look after it for you? You can

visit whenever you like – much safer!

Ozzy - Barn Owl

Ozzy is a firm favourite with our visitors. He came to live with us

after his owner went away to university and he has proved to be a

great addition to our display team. He is a cheeky character and likes

nothing better than showing off in the arena. He gets very jealous

when the other birds are flown and protests very loudly until he gets

his turn!

Tyson - Tawny Owl

Tyson stole our hearts when he was brought to us as a rescue owl. He

was found at only a few weeks old by a member of the public and had

a terrible eye infection. We had little hope for his survival but after a

couple of weeks of treatment his infection cleared up and he grew into

a very handsome boy. Sadly he has been left blind in his right eye so

would be unable to survive on his own in the wild.

Wilber – Asian Wood Owl

Wilber is the youngest member of our flying team having only joined us

in 2019. He came to us from an owl sanctuary in Suffolk at about 10

weeks old and has been charming our visitors ever since. Not a great

deal is known about Asian Wood Owls but they are believed to be

closely related to our Tawny Owl . If you visit Wilber in his aviary

you will see we have given him a swing to play on – his favourite

pastime!

Elsa – Bengal Eagle Owl

Earlier this year we were able to remove two fertile eggs from Shaggy

and Scooby in order to incubate them ourselves. Although both owlets

were hatched, sadly one did not survive the first week. However, we

are pleased to say that the remaining owlet, named Elsa, has been

successfully hand reared and hopefully will go on to star in our flying

display when she is older. She is extremely tame and is a real character.

Despite still being a baby she eats more than some of our large hawks

and is very vocal when feeding time comes around. She will certainly

keep the staff on their toes!