Harley, a Eurasian eagle owl and Bowie, a Barn owl came to visit the Primary Four Year Group. Pupils who had been reading ‘The Owl who was Afraid of the Dark’, got the chance to see these magnificent birds in the flesh. Contrary to public opinion, they learned that owls are not very wise, they can’t turn their heads 360 degrees and not all owls are nocturnal.

Michael, the founder of the charity ‘World of Owls’, informed the captivated audience that different species of owls are active at different times of the day. They can be nocturnal, diurnal or crepuscular. He showed them a pellet, the undigested parts of an owl’s food which had been regurgitated (thankfully everyone had already eaten their dinner!). Pupils were amazed to discover that the owl call ‘twit-twoo’ is actually a duet between a male and female Tawny owl, along with lots of other fascinating facts.

Much to their delight, pupils were also introduced to a bearded dragon and a bull snake. Two lucky pupils even got the chance to ‘wear’ some Madagascar hissing cockroaches. An unforgettable experience – a real hootenanny!