MINERVA’S OWLS TRAIL
OFFICIAL APP

 

The Owls of Bath app is no longer in action, but led thousands of owl fans across Bath and beyond this summer!

Wake Up Bath’s Sleeping Owls!

The Minerva's Owls of Bath app could be found nesting within the The Bath Directory app.

Each of the 80+ owls contained an interactive beacon and owl fans were tasked with the mission of tracking down all of the owls on the trail and wake up the sleeping flock!

As you approached an owl, it 'woke up' and  information about it, including its photo, artist & sponsor logos and a fun question to answer popped up on your phone.

The Owls of Bath app was free to download and offered a brilliant way of exploring the city whilst tracking down all the owls in the 'parliament' this summer!

 

The Big Hoot App Prize

132 people managed to get round to all 82 owls across the region and answer their questions correctly.  They all went into a draw to win the luxury pampering break in and around the World Heritage city.

The draw was made at the Owls Hoot Farewell weekend by Bath's Olympic gold medallist Amy Williams MBE, pictured here with Julia, one of the runners up, who won an Owls of Bath poster.

The overall winner of the fabulous prizes was the Siveter family from East Preston, West Sussex. Congratulations!

Kevin, Marita and 9 year old daughter Julia came to Bath for a short break in July and managed to track down 81 of the 82 owls, with the exception of IsamBIRD Kingdom BrunOWL who was nesting at Paddington Station at the time.  The following month they drove from East Sussex to Swindon where IsamBIRD was now perched, where they found him perched in the waiting room and finally completed the trail.

On hearing the news that they had won the Big Hoot App prize, Marika said "I can't believe it.  We never win anything!  Bath is one of my favourite cities in the world.  It reminds me of Rome where I'm from.  I always have a lovely time when I come to Bath and I'm so excited to take up all these amazing prizes.  Thank you so much. It's so exciting!"

They win a fabulous mega-prize of 2-nights in the boutique Abbey Hotel; Exclusive Prosecco Package in the thermal Cross Bath; a Taste of Bath hamper, a goodie bag of Owls of Bath merchandise, including colouring books, posters and mugs; a night's dinner B&B at the 16th century Swan Hotel in nearby historic Bradford on Avon and a round of golf for four at the award-winning Cumberwell Park - home to real Little Owls!

Nine year old Big Hoot App Prize winner Julia Siveter from East Sussex with Trigiforms, painted by Sue Guthrie, in Milsom Place.

There were also 20 runners up, who have each won an Owls of Bath poster to remind them of the fabulous flock!  We will be in touch to discuss collection/postage.

Poster winners include: Alice Barnfield from Widcombe, Martin and Lena Janotta from Germany, Carl Zalek from Atworth, Andrew Tarrant, Amanda Jane, Claire Stuart, Craig Breeze, Daisy Ferris, Knowle@aol, Gemma Down from Basingstoke, Natasha Reed from Bradford on Avon, Pam Cobb from Freshford, Reiko Vermuelen, Rob Blackwood, Nik Roberts from Manchetser, Roy Page, R Sweet, Sally Leo, Sarah Bucket from Southdown, Tony Stimson from Bath and Tracey Womble from Midsomer Norton.

Congralations to everyone who took part in the Owls of Bath trail and particularly to the dedicated owl fans who spent their summer following the trail and correctly answering the app questions at all 82 owls in the parliament!


Private hire of the Cross Bath with Prosecco for the lucky winner!


2 nights at the Abbey Hotel in the centre of Bath included in the prize


'Waking up' The Owl and the Pussycat in SouthGate Bath. Beacons inside the owls sent information about the owls to your phone as you approach!

About the App

  • Interactive beacons in each owl send sponsor and artist info to your phone.
  • A fun way to explore the City and track down all the owls.
  • Find out about each owl’s sponsor, artist and location.
  • Solve questions to wake the owls and complete the treasure hunt.
  • Receive rewards and prizes for finding owls and Owl Sponsor special offers.
  • Multi-lingual app and directory attractive for visitors.
  • The Owl App is produced by Bath-based BLISPA

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Many owls have asymmetrical ears that vary in size and are at different heights on their heads. This allows them to better pinpoint where their prey is.

Little Owls have decreased by 70% over the last 20 years. The UK Little Owl Project is working to protect them and is based in Bath.

In 2008 the King Bladud’s Pigs auction raised over £200,000 for charity and 16,000 pig fans came to say their ‘final farewells’.

Owls do not have spherical eyes, they have tube eyes (providing better depth perception and allowing them to see prey from great distances. Their close vision is not as clear.)

The Little Owl is one of the smallest owls. It was introduced to Britain from Europe in the 1880s to help control garden pests and can be found living in tree hollows around the Bath area.

Little Owls love sunbathing! You can spot them basking in sunshine on their favourite perches during the winter months in parks and rural villages. On a sunny day, look out for Little Owls on barn roofs, poles and fence posts.

A Little Owl with an olive branch appeared on a Greek silver tetradrachm coin from 500 BC and a 5th Century BC bronze statue of the Greek goddess of wisdom, Athena, shows her holding a Little Owl.

In 2008, a herd of 100 King Bladud’s Pigs descended on Bath to take part in one of the UK’s first public art sculpture trails.

My pet owl will soon turn 180.
He’s not old, he just has a bad neck. (Hoot!)

The Little Owl has a large global range and is found in 84 countries (much of Europe, Asia east to Korea, North Africa, and the Middle East).

You can find Little Owls in a range of habitats including quarries, villages, orchards, parkland, liveries and on lowland farmland. They prefer semi-open habitat and avoid woodland. Read Emily’s Little Owl Spotter’s Guide here.

There are around 200 species of owl.
The largest is Blakiston’s fish owl (Japan, China, Siberia)

Headline sponsor – SouthGate Bath

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