2010/11/09

The Barn Owl (Tyto alba) or Schleiereule

This owl is one of the most widespread of all birds and known by many other names like White Owl, Silver Owl, Demon Owl, Ghost Owl, Death Owl, Rat Owl, Church Owl, Cave Owl, Stone Owl, Monkey-faced Owl, Hissing Owl, Hobgoblin or Hobby Owl, Dobby Owl, Golden Owl, Scritch Owl, Screech Owl, Straw Owl, Barnyard Owl, Delicate Owl and most notably Night Owl. Names such as "Demon Owl", "Death Owl" or "Ghost Owl" show that Barn Owls are often considered to be birds of evil omen, which is very unfair considering the benefit these birds bring. But if you ever asked yourself what The Saarland University (German: Universität des Saarlandes) and the Northern Soul scene have in common (and to be honest I haven’t until now) the answer is that both are taking a far more positive attitude to this elegant bird, making it their heraldic animal (see The Night Owl BOTW#9). The Australian devotees of the Northern Soul Night Owl are gathering this weekend in Sydney for their annual National weekender, a progression of dance nights and other gatherings that stretch almost non stop from Thursday until Sunday midnight. You can see that - as one of the aficionados of this uptempo and frantic Soul-music - I have quite a couple of intense days ahead of me, even taking in account that I’m not one of the most active punters on the talcum dusted dance floors. I’m passing on those impressive spins, flips, and backdrops that characterise the Northern Soul dancing style. Nevertheless you can expect that come Monday I will be one happy Night Owl with some heavy bags under my eyes.

Next week: The Grey Butcherbird or where to get the best steak for a BBQ.