Giant Owls


Since 1976 reports of large owls have come from the coastal town of Mawnan in England.

The first such report came from 12 year-old June Melling on April 17th of 1976. Melling reportedly spied the Owlman flying over on of Mawnan's church towers. From her sketch, which accompanied the report, the creature appeared to be very manlike with feathered wings, pointed ears, and a black beak. The same creature, or one like it, was seen again on July 3rd of the same year by two teenage girls.

The Owlman was said to be standing amongst some pine trees in the woods near the same church as the first sighting. The duo?s description is similar to that of Mellings, however the pair?s sketches show a creature that is very owl like. Sightings in the Mawnan area continued up until 1978 where the creature seemed to disappear from public view until the late 1980s.

The most recent sighting of the Owlman of Mawnan occurred in 1995 by an anonymous student vacationing in England.

"...I saw a monstrous man/bird 'thing'. It was the size of a man, with a ghastly face, a wide mouth, glowing eyes and pointed ears. It had huge clawed wings and was covered in feathers of silver/grey colour. The thing had long bird legs which terminated in large black claws. It saw me and arose, 'floating towards me. I just screamed then turned and ran for my life."

Reports of Giant Owls don't only occur on English soil, there's a long tradition amongst the native people of North America regarding Giant Owls. Reports of such creatures have been made from the Pacific northwest, the Ozark Mountains, and the Allegheny Plateau by Native Americans and early settlers. Both of which firmly believed in the existence of these large birds they called Great Owls or Big-hoot. Mark A. Hall, author of "Thunderbirds! The Living Legend of Giant Birds" feels that the Mothman, a mysterious giant "moth" reported circa 1966, may in fact be a Giant Owl.

To this day there's no solid evidence to suggest that such large bird exist other then sightings and legend. Even so we've learned in the past that even the most fantastic of Native American legends are based on some facts. So, perhaps someday Giant Owls will be found in the backwoods of North America.

- entry provided by Matthew J. Eaton, matt@slowpokerecords.com