The Owlman and Others by Jonathan Downes
EASTER 1976 - Two young girls playing in the churchyard of Mawnan Old Church in southern Cornwall were frightened by what they described as a nasty bird-man flying over the church tower. A few months later it was seen again, and the witness said: It was like a big owl with pointed ears, as big as a man. The eyes were red and glowing. At first I thought that it someone dressed-up, playing a joke, trying to scare us. I laughed at it. We both did. Then it went up in the air and we both screamed. When it went up you could see its feet were like pincers Her friend added some details of her own: It's true. It was horrible, a nasty owl-face with big ears and big red eyes. It was covered in grey feathers. The claws on its feet were black. It just flew up and disappeared in the trees. These were the first of a series of sightings of what has become known as 'The Owlman of Mawnan' - a series of sightings that has continued to the present day. These grotesque and frightening episodes have fascinated researchers for three decades now, and one man has spent years collecting all the available evidence into a book. To mark the 30th anniversary of these sightings, Jonathan Downes, the Director of the Centre for Fortean Zoology - the world's largest mystery animal research group - has published a special edition of his book 'The Owlman and Others' which was first published in 1997. A witness who saw the creature in 1995 likened it toa vision from hell, and another witness (identified only as Gavin ) describes how his Owlman sighting in 1989 has blighted his life ever since. The book also tells the story of Morgawr - the Cornish Sea Serpent, and the summer of 1976, which was not only the hottest on record, but was the year that the whole of southern Cornwall went crazy I have explored various explanations for the events in the book says Jon, and I am not completely sure which one is true. But I know one thing for sure. I wouldn't let my children play alone in those woods.
Downes, Jonathan: - Jonathan Downes (born 1959) is a naturalist, cryptozoologist, author, editor, film-maker, poet, novelist, activist, journalist, composer and singer-songwriter, with a background in radical politics and mental health care. He is Director of the Centre for Fortean Zoology. His father, the explorer and Colonial Service Officer J. T. Downes (1925-2006), wrote several books on a wide range of subjects, such as African history, theology and the Devonshire dialect. His mother Mary Downes (nü¾Ž–”¼e Rawlins) (1922-2002) was a broadcaster and author who published several collections of Nigerian folklore under the pen-name `Yar Kunama`. As a child he lived in Nigeria, and then Hong Kong (then a British Crown Colony), and returned to the UK in 1971, when his father was 'invalided out' of the Hong Kong government. Having suffered from manic-depression for years, Downes is an activist for mental health issues. Between 1985 and their divorce in 1996 he was married to Alison Huntingford. On 21 July 2007 he married his second wife Corinna Newton Downes who died of cancer on 16 August 2020. He has two stepdaughters and a granddaughter.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781905723027 |
| ISBN 10 | 1905723024 |
| Title | The Owlman and Others |
| Author | Jonathan Downes |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | CFZ Press |
| Year published | 2006-04-11 |
| Number of pages | 344 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |