Eagle owl who landed at Faslane has settled into life at Loch Lomond Bird of Prey centre

28.12.2022 - 13:05 / dailyrecord.co.uk

An eagle owl who landed at the home of the UK’s submarine service has settled into life at the Loch Lomond Bird of Prey centre in Balloch.

The 19-year-old, dubbed ‘Miranda’, was first spotted at the Faslane site two years ago.

It’s thought that she was abandoned by her owner, released on the nearby A817 Haul Road running between Faslane and Loch Lomond.

She soon made her way to Faslane where personnel working at the Submarine Service’s HQ in Belmore House first got a glimpse.

“Despite being nearly two feet tall, she kept a relatively low profile,” explained John Harkins, part of HM Naval Base Clyde’s Environmental Health team.

“News of the first sightings came to me from the area of Belmore House, but increasingly there were reports from other locations around the Naval Base.

“Miranda was discouraging the number of nuisance seagulls that nest on rooftops so I would have left her on-site if I could have.”

The Eurasian Eagle Owl is one of the largest species of owl in the world.

Found across much of Europe, usually in rocky areas close to woodland, they mostly hunt at night, preying on small mammals and other birds.

Female eagle owls like Miranda are larger than the males and can have a wingspan of over six feet.

Even though they are a non-native species the creatures are protected by UK law.

“We went to lengths not to interfere with the eagle owl,” continued John. “But we received reports that she was at the northern end of the base acting strangely, so we had to investigate.”

It soon became apparent that Miranda was sick and in need of help.

“She was quite lethargic and underweight,” said John.

“She didn’t seem interested in food and was hopping across the roads, rather than flying. I was quite concerned for her health.”

John contacted