Where there are mice their natural predator the owl also lurks. At some time everyone has searched David's cottages end to end for this illusive creature. Perching so still, he seems to be asleep until darkness falls and then he pursues his small prey with a single minded concentration that is only broken when he woos the moon with his haunting calls. The name is so appropriate for the owl. Pericles, well known for his majestic composure, lived in the 5th century BC. Under this great statesman's wise leadership "The glory that was Greece" reached its finest hours.

The owls nocturnal life resulted in huge eyes which almost seem to float after you in supplication at night. Perhaps that is why David has given them such a pensive look by turning their gaze upward.

Cloaked in voles (although most collectors just assume they are mice) the hooded owl waits patiently for its prey.

Some owl trivia
The haunting calls and knowing eyes of the owls have fascinated man since the dawn of time. Its upright posture, round face and large, forward-looking eyes, so like our own, intrigue us. The owl's familiarity with the night, its stealthy flight and silent swoop as it spies its prey makes owls seem mysterious and otherworldly. This fascination is why David chose to add these along with his trademark mice to his sculptures.

Did you know? The owl is a member of the raptor family. Hawks, eagles and falcons belong to this group and all have talons for catching prey and hooked beaks for tearing it apart.

Owls are nocturnal. They sleep during the day and emerge at night to hunt small mice and other rodents plus insects, frogs, and small birds which come out to feed at night.

The large eyes of the owl set on both sides of its face give binocular vision. Very precise depth perception adds to their skills. Unlike us, they cannot move their eyes in their sockets and so must turn or bend their head to follow movement. Their head can move 270 degrees so they can look behind themselves. They mainly see in black and white.

Owls hunt when in a dense forest by sitting quietly on a branch until prey is spotted. Then they swoop and pounce. Over open territory they fly low over the ground quartering their territory till they spot their prey and swoop down.

Owl's wing feather tips are split. This breaks the wind flow at the trailing edge of the wings, eliminating even the soft sound of flowing air. Their thick feathers also absorb the sound and so they swoop on almost silent wings.

Owl's sometimes have feathered ear tufts. Their hearing is acute which greatly helps with the hunt. The tufts are only there for camouflage and maybe to impart information to other owls. The tufts stand up when alert and hunting but lie flat when the owl is dozing.

Owls do not have teeth. They eat their prey whole or swallow it in lumps. They eliminate the inedible parts (like hair, feathers, and bone) in oval-shaped pellets which they regurgitate after eating.

Owls are a worldwide sight. They live in a huge range of habitats including rainforests, grasslands, wooded areas and tundra.

No other predators hunt owls. True, but in the South of France when roosting on low branches, flights of small birds mob them. (The biter bit)!