Wol

Yes, that is an intentional spelling of the title.

Anyway, did anyone else see the programme last night on BBC2 about the return of Eagle Owls to the UK? Apparently there’s at least one breeding pair on the North York Moors, and since 1997 they’ve produced at least 23 young, which have then gone on to spread as far as Exmoor and Northern Ireland. How utterly fantastic.

Bizarrely, at the moment they’re not listed as being a protected animal, because the British Ornithological Union wants to see proof that they are “native” to the UK before adding them to the British List (which would then automatically give the owls legal protection). The BOU believes that the owls are simply errant visitors, or “foreign birds”, rather than a reintroduction of a species that had been in the UK before becoming extinct in this country. The necessary proof apparently needs to consist of drawings/illustrations of the Eagle Owl going back to the 1600-1800s – a simple textual description apparently isn’t enough for these bureaucratic wonders. But until they get their proof, technically anyone can trap or kill the owls, or destroy their nests, with no legal comebacks.

Which is – frankly – bloody farcical.