Around Mawnan Old Church, Cornwall, U-K., sightings of what was then called the "Owlman" were reported mostly between 1976 and 1978. The witnesses were often young, and the publicity was given by one Tony "Doc" Shiels, a local character described in some sources as not exactly the most scientific mind.
One of these reported sightings goes as follows: "Doc" got a phone call from one Ken Opie who told him that his 16-year-old daughter had seen the owlman during the first week of June, saying it was a demon-like monster flying up through the trees near Mawnan Church.
There seems to be nothing more to it. However, numerous Fortean or cryptozoology books and articles appeared about the so-called Cornwall Owlman, only few of them mentioning that it was perhaps just an eagle owl. The sighting also appeared in at least one ufology catalogue, though no UFO was ever involved.
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[Ref. fa1:] LIONEL AND PATRICIA FANTHROPE:
The authors discuss the Cornwall Owlman sightings. They say that in 1978, sightings were investigated by Tony "Doc" Shiels,, described by US author Mark Chorvinsky as "a magical wolf amongst Foertean sheeps", a "truly wonderful character, a great showman, a musician, and well up in conjuring and wizardry.
They say "Doc" got a phone call from Ken Opie who told him that his teenage daughter had seen the owlman during the first week of June. She described it as a demon-like monster flying up through the trees near Mawman Church.
The authors suggest that the Owlman was rather a "phenomenalist entity" than a creature of flesh and blood, or poltergeist phenomena as it is often reported by teenagers, or that this could be "thoughts form like Madame Blavatski's tulpa."
[Ref. ge1:] GEORGE M. EBERHART:
George M. Eberhart discusses of the "dubious flying humanoid of Cornwall", England. He says it was described as covered in grey feathers, had an owl-like head, red glowing slanted eyes, pointed ears, humanlike legs but bent slightly backwards, black talons, and that it can rise vertically into the air.
He cites some significant sightings, not including the "Miss Opie" sighting, then proposes possible explanations as "much confusion", if not deliberate hoaxes, or an escaped Eurasian Eagle-owl (Bubo bubo), not normally seen in the British Isles. He says it is the world's largest owl, 4 feet 4 inches long, found in much of Europe, east to Siberia, and south to India and China.
[Ref. tm1:] TREVOR MENDHAM:
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The Owlman was seen during the years 1976 - 1978 in the county of Cornwall. More specifically, it was seen in the vicinity of the Mawnan Village. Some of the sightings were reported to the well-known cryptozoologist Tony "Doc" Shiels who reportedly coined the name "Owlman". |
[Ref. kk1:] "KITHRA'S KRYSTAL KAVE" WEBSITE:
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From June to August 1978 there were additional sightings in area of the church. In early August 1978 a sixteen-year-old girl, "Miss Opie", saw what she described as: "a monster, like a devil, flying up through the trees near old Mawnan Church." And, on 2nd August, three young French girls, staying in Redruth while attending Camborne Technical College, now known as Cornwall College, told their landlady they’d seen something that was: "very big like a big furry bird with a gaping mouth and round eyes." The report was made to Doc Shiels, a very well-known local character and someone who seems to figure somewhere in most of the Owlman reports. |
[Ref. um1:] "UNEXPLAINED MYSTERIES" WEB FORUM:
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In Alien Animals (1985), British paranormal researchers Janet and Colin Bord pointed out that Mawnan church is built in the middle of a prehistoric earthwork. They suggest that the church may be built on a ley line (a straight line that passes through and links several ancient sites), and speculate that the appearance of the Owlman may be a manifestation of earth energy in this place. A more straightforward explanation may be that the Owlman sightings were of an escaped eagle owl (Bubo bubo), a species that can grow more than two feet long, with a wingspan of nearly six feet. Perhaps the most comprehensive study into the Owlman was undertaken by Jonathan Downes, the founder of the Centre for Fortean Zoology, (the worlds largest cryptozoological organisation) in his book 'The Owlman and Others'(1997). |
[Ref. ar1:] ALBERT ROSALES:
Albert Rosales indicates in his catalogue that in Mawnan Church, Cornwall, England, on June 1978, at an unknown time, a sixteen-year-old girl saw a large humanoid resembling a leathery owl with claws flying through the trees near the church. It reportedly had large round red eyes and a gaping mouth. No other information.
Albert Rosales indicates that the source is "Graham J McEwan, Mystery Animals of Britain and Ireland."
[Ref. ce1:] CASSANDRA EASON:
The author discusses the Cornwall "Owlman", described as of human size with fiery red eyes and huge black claws but able to fly, making a hissing sound as it flies.
Among several sightings, she says in was seen in July and August 1978 around the churchyard of Mawman Old Church, according to "Owlman and Others", by J. Downes and G. Davies, Corby, Domra publications, U-K., 1998.
She gives her opinion that an huge eagle owl does "not quite explain the sightings" and that it could nbe a "modern myth" or "something more."
[Ref. pm1:] "PHANTOM AND MONSTERS" WEBSITE:
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In another sighting, two people saw it standing in a large tree, near the Mawnan church. At first the witnesses thought someone was playing a trick on them by being dressed in a costume. But as they observed the creature, it flew up into the air, and away from the area. After it flew away, there was a crackling or static noise heard in the trees for some time. [...] Two years later [than 1976], a young lady called 'Miss Opie' saw 'A monster, like a devil, flying up through the trees near old Mawnan Church'. A few days later Tony Shiels wrote to Janet and Colin Bord of the Fortean Picture Library: "The owlman is certainly back in business, it seems. I poked around his area, around Old Mawnan Church, a couple of days ago, and the atmosphere was positively crackling with 'odd presences', if you know what I mean. |
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However, it is perhaps not useless to show sketches from the Owlman sightings in 1976 - left. It is rather clear that what is shown here is an owl, not terribly exaggerated into an abnormal creature. There are numerous other references in the cryptozoology litterature about the so-called Cornwall Owlman. As most do not mention the particular sighting by "Miss Opie", I omit these from this file. |
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Left: Mawnan Old church. The tall trees that an owl may appreciate are visible. The cemetery certainly added much scary atmos in the minds of the teenagers reporting the "Owlman". |
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To a teenager, from a perhaps important distance - the distance is not given which tells a lot of the lack of serious in this matter - this creature, not very ordinary there, with its light-reflecting eyes, its big size, could appear quite impressive. |
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Left: Red eyes. |
The Eurasian eagle owl is a large owl with large tufts of ear and luminous orange eyes. The tufts of the males' ears are more straight than those of the females. The chin, the throat and the chest are white. The rest of the feathers are gray, with different nuances depending on subspecies. Their claws are large and black. It can direct its legs ahead or backwards when it flies.
The first explanation of puzzling entities as owls appeared in Charles Fort's 1919 book. It is thus quite ironic that so many Fortean researchers do not consider this possible explanation for such cases, preferring outlandish "explanations" such as "thoughts forms" etc.
In ufology, it was with the infamous Sutton case that former Major Donald Keyhoe, a proponent of the thesis of the alien visitors, proposed that the creature might have been some owl nested in a tree and not an extraterrestrial monster, his opinion being quoted later by Joe Nickell of the skeptic group CSICOP.
Joe Nickell made the explanation his own for this same case, as well as for the case of Kelly in 1955, and according to Joe Nickell, it was then shared by skeptic ufologist Renaud Leclet, France, who then started to look for others such cases where this explanation can apply. I was the only French ufologist to my knowledge not to react to the explanation by useless scoffing, the way it was generally was welcomed in France and also in the United States.
Related sightings:
August 2, 1978, Mawnan Church, Cornwall, U-K., three young tourists.
| Id: | Topic: | Severity: | Date noted: | Raised by: | Noted by: | Description: | Proposal: | Status: |
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Confusion, owl. Not UFO-related.
* = Source I checked.
? = Source I am told about but could not check yet. Help appreciated.
| Main Author: | Patrick Gross |
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| Contributors: | None |
| Reviewers: | None |
| Editor: | Patrick Gross |
| Version: | Created/Changed By: | Date: | Change Description: |
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| 0.1 | Patrick Gross | November 24, 2011 | Creation, [fa1], [ge1], [tm1], [kk1], [um1], [ar1], [ce1], [pm1]. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | November 24, 2011 | First published. |
