From clay...

Sculptor Alan Dun, who created the King Bladud’s Pigs and Lions of Bath sculptures, made the owl maquette (small clay model) in his Limpley Stoke studio near Bath. The design was given the final seal of approval by Dr Emily Joachim from the UK Little Owl Project and Minerva's Owl was born!

to 3D Scanning...

The clay owl was then 3D-scanned by the University of Bath's Advanced Design and Manufacture group (ADM) and CAMERA research centre to produce a high-resolution digital 3D model, and was finished just a few days before Christmas!
 

to CAD file...

The University CAMERA team is applying advances in computer science to create new hyper-personalised prosthetic sockets for lower limb amputees and also offers consultancy based services for commercial clients. A huge thank you to the team transferring your skills to Owls!

to robot milling...

The 3D data file was then sent to Fineline, a feature film prop making company in Bristol, which inputted the data file into their multi-million pound CNC (computer numerical control) robotic arm, which automatically cut out the 110cms and 75cms tall master owl sculptures from blocks of high-density polyurethane.

TO OWL'S FIRST CAR JOURNEY...

The super-sized high density polyurethane Owl was also super-heavy, but luckily nested neatly in the back of the team Volvo. It was then taken to sculptor Alan Dun for finessing before swooping into the GRP factory near Stonehenge for mould-making. Fineline then created the smaller prototype Owlet.

to moulds and the birth of the flock!

The master owl and owlet sculptures then landed at the fibreglass factory, where the master Owl and Owlet moulds were then made from which the rest of the ‘parliament’ (as a group of owls is known) hatched...

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“It was with sheer delight that I rounded a corner on my first ever visit to … where they were filming Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, and saw a line of big, grey, fluffy, bewildered-looking owls blinking back at me.” JK Rowling

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.

For 2008’s King Bladud’s Pig trail 40,000 trail maps led pig fans on a city-wide journey of exploration.

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.

A group of owls is called a parliament.
(Of course, most owls are solitary!)

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).

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

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

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.

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.

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.)

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’.

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