Any evening owl who has spent 30 years of working all day could be dreaming of retirement.
Such is the case for Ernie, an owl with a “large character”, who might be quitting after delighting visitors at Warwick Fort for 3 many years.
He has been hovering and swooping across the West Midlands attraction’s turrets on common for twice a day, day-after-day, for 30 years.
An African Verreaux’s eagle owl with a wingspan of 165cm, Ernie has taken flight about 20,000 instances and most not too long ago starred within the Falconer’s Quest, the UK’s largest fowl of prey present.
He might be performing his ultimate flight over the fortress through the Easter holidays earlier than retiring to the Yorkshire Dales with Hawk Expertise, which organise the fowl dealing with shows on the fortress.
Liam Bartlett, the final supervisor of the historic attraction, mentioned: “Ernie is a much-loved member of employees at Warwick Fort. “He has an enormous character, is commonly cussed and likes to freestyle his reveals, however that’s why we love him.
“We’re excited for him to spend his twilight years within the gorgeous Yorkshire Dales with different feathered buddies.”
The Verreaux’s eagle owl is the biggest owl species in Africa and the one sort to have pink eyelids.