Love Thy Neighbour....??

Now this is not a technically excellent shot by any stretch of the imagination but please bear with me. There's a story to be told. Eagle Owls have been breeding in the Northern moorlands of the UK for a few years now but so far all of the nests have been out of the public eye and in any case probably numbered no more than half a dozen.
Then along comes this couple and set up home in the Forest of Bowland, just yards above a public footpath. Like all good parents they attack anything that comes close to their young and have caused serious injuries to ramblers and almost killed dogs. Now for Eagle Owl don't think of your friendly neighbourhood tawny that hoots in the middle of the night. These raptors can easily take to the skies with a lamb in their talons. 2 metre wing span, formidable talons and a beak for tearing makes them the perfect hunter.
Within days public safety notices were posted, footpaths were closed and birders from all over the UK made the 3 mile walk to the closest viewing point 200mtrs across the valley. It was from this vantage point that I captured this image this afternoon. Canon camera (full frame sensor) 300mm f4 with a 2x converter. I shot in Raw and reproduced this from a tiny part of the frame.

Are they welcome here? Well opinions vary and arguments are heated. Firstly it's been decided that these are not truly wild birds that have flown from their nearest home base in Holland. There's no definite record of Eagle Owls ever being a native species on our shores, although some recent fossil evidence is suggesting this may be incorrect as of 200+ years ago. Soooo.... they are considered to be escapes from maybe 4 years ago, or the offspring of escapes.

The problem is with their diet. If they were happy just to munch on bunnies and the odd lamb it might not be so bad. Bowland is the stronghold of one of Britains rarest birds, the Hen Harrier. I may be wrong but I think the figure is something like 17 breeding pairs this year, which is virtually all of the UK population. And Eagle Owls love to chew on them. And on Short Eared Owls. And Buzzards.

Many are saying that the birds should be 'taken out' much like the Orkney hedgehogs but not in a rehab sort of way. To preserve the endemic species that have worked hard to maintain a foothold in our countryside this may be the only way. But it is highly contentious. To gaze into their fiery orange eyes is to be entranced. I certainly couldn't pull the trigger on these neighbours.