Agoraphobic owl given his own house
A great grey owl that is scared of flying outside has had an aviary built inside his own brick house.
The agoraphobic owl, called Gandalf, was first put in the shed temporarily while his owners built his aviary outside, but he didn't want to move.
His owner, Janet Southard, said: "He is a bit of a wuss as he doesn't like flying in big open spaces… so now he has an aviary inside the lovely red brick shed.
"He loves sitting at the window and watching the other birds."
Gandalf, who can be seen staring out of the window by passers by, gave amateur photographer, Mark Bridger, a bit of a fright.
"I looked around a saw this face at the window, then suddenly realised it was an owl. It gave me quite a shock. You don't normally expect to see an owl in a house. He looked quite ghostly."
Livestock keepers are being urged to stay vigilant for Bluetongue (BTV-3) following confirmation of the disease in a ewe. The case, confirmed in Staffordshire on 23 June 2026, represents the first confirmed case of infection this summer.
