You have heard of a wild goose chase, well this was a plastic owl chase. Here is how the story goes.....

At 6:30 on 30th August (2000) an excited Barry Williams phoned me to say that he had seen a large raptor on the top of a electricity pylon from the train on his way home. It was just before Waltham Cross station, and as it had started to rain he thought it was looking like it would roost on the pylon. "I think it is a Osprey" he said can you go down and check it out. As I drove across the lights at the end of Bullsmore Lane on to the North South road I could see a large raptor shape on top of the second pylon. I excitedly looked for a place to stop and scope the bird. I was still a fair way away and as I got my scope on it I could see it was clearly an Eagle Owl. Must be escaped was my first reaction. The bird was facing away and I could not see the face. However after a couple of mins the bird had not moved?? My suspicious nature started to work.....Hmm I need to get closer. Back in the car and a quick drive round the back roads of Freezywater in Enfield just past Waltham Cross confirmed my rapidly growing suspicions. It was a PLASTIC EAGLE OWL.   Don't fall for it like I did!!!   Paul Roper

I checked out another pylon owl which Bill Cutts told me about this summer towards the Great Cambridge Road-A10 end of Bullsmore Lane - this one hasn't moved a muscle since June - and the one on the KGV Sailing Club raft has wasted hours of precious birdwatching time since it arrived in the mid 90s. - andy

Andrew Middleton, London, UK acmiddleton@blueyonder.co.uk ~ site index