The Owlman of Mawnan

Since 1976, the woods around St. Mawnan’s Church in Cornwall, England, have been home to something strange: a creature standing like a man but resembling a massive owl, with glowing red eyes, pointed ears, and wings large enough to take flight. The Owlman of Mawnan has been called Britain’s answer to Mothman - a winged humanoid appearing near an old church, sometimes seen before misfortune.

The First Sighting

April 17, 1976

Two young sisters, June (12) and Vicky Melling (9), were on holiday with their family in Mawnan. While walking through the woods near St. Mawnan’s Church:

• They saw a large creature hovering over the church tower
• It resembled a man with wings
• They were terrified and ran
• Their father reported the sighting to paranormal researcher Tony “Doc” Shiels

The Description

The girls described:

• A large, winged figure
• Hovering in place
• Visible against the sky
• Terrifying enough to end their vacation early

The family left Mawnan that day.

The Summer of 1976

July 3, 1976

Two 14-year-old girls, Sally Chapman and Barbara Perry, were camping near the church. At night:

• They heard a hissing sound
• A figure appeared nearby
• It was the size of a man
• It had pointed ears, glowing red eyes, and claw-like feet
• It had large wings, folded at its sides
• It flew up into the trees

Their Account

Sally Chapman later wrote: “It was like a big owl with pointed ears, as big as a man. The eyes were red and glowing.”

They were too frightened to leave their tent until morning.

Additional Sightings

Throughout 1976:

• Multiple witnesses reported a large flying creature
• Most sightings were near St. Mawnan’s Church
• Descriptions consistently mentioned owl-like features
• The creature seemed to inhabit the woods

Later Sightings

1978

Young women reported:

• Seeing the creature in the woods
• Glowing eyes observing them
• The creature taking flight when approached

1989

A young couple claimed:

• They heard something large in the trees
• A creature with gray feathers and glowing eyes watched them
• It had clawed feet and a wingspan of several feet
• It flew away when they screamed

1995

A female tourist:

• Saw “a man-bird” near the church
• It had wings and legs like a bird
• It watched her with glowing eyes
• It flew upward when she approached

2009

Multiple witnesses:

• Reported a large, strange bird in the area
• One described a “humanoid owl”
• Sightings continued the pattern

The Creature

Physical Description

Witnesses consistently describe:

• 5-6 feet tall
• Gray or brown coloring
• Feathered or owl-like body
• Pointed or horn-like ears
• Large, glowing red or orange eyes
• Large wings (estimated 8-10 foot wingspan)
• Clawed, bird-like feet
• Ability to fly

Behavior

The Owlman:

• Appears near St. Mawnan’s Church
• Often at dusk or night
• Seems to observe witnesses
• Flies away when approached or confronted
• Has never attacked anyone

Comparison to Mothman

Like West Virginia’s Mothman:

• Winged humanoid creature
• Glowing red eyes
• Associated with a specific location
• Appears sporadically over decades
• No clear explanation

The Location

St. Mawnan’s Church

The church is significant:

• Medieval construction (partially 13th century)
• Built on an ancient site (possibly pre-Christian)
• Named after a Celtic saint
• Surrounded by old woods
• Overlooks the Helford River
• Has a reputation for being “haunted”

Ley Lines

Some researchers note:

• The church lies on alleged ley lines
• The area has other paranormal reports
• Ancient energy may attract unusual phenomena

The Investigator

Tony “Doc” Shiels

The primary chronicler of the Owlman:

• A magician, artist, and paranormal investigator
• He collected and published many accounts
• He was known for other unusual claims (including the “Morgawr” sea serpent)
• Some question his reliability
• He maintained the sightings were genuine

Controversy

Shiels’ involvement raises questions:

• Did he embellish or fabricate accounts?
• Are the witnesses independent of his influence?
• Does his reputation undermine the case?

Some witnesses, however, had no contact with Shiels before their sightings.

Explanations

Misidentified Bird

The Theory

• A large owl (eagle owl) mistaken for something larger
• Fear exaggerated the size
• Glowing eyes are normal for birds at night

Support

• Eagle owls have ear tufts and large eyes
• They can appear very large
• Nocturnal sightings reduce accuracy

Problems

• Eagle owls weren’t known in Cornwall until recently
• Witnesses describe a humanoid standing posture
• Multiple witnesses would all need to misidentify

Hoax

The Theory

• Witnesses fabricated stories
• Shiels encouraged or created the hoax
• The Owlman is entirely fictional

Support

• Shiels’ involvement is suspicious
• Early witnesses were children
• No physical evidence exists

Problems

• Multiple independent witnesses over decades
• Some witnesses had no connection to Shiels
• Consistent descriptions across years

Genuine Cryptid

The Theory

• An unknown creature lives in the area
• It’s rarely seen due to nocturnal habits
• It may be a surviving prehistoric form

Support

• Consistent witness descriptions
• Regular sightings over 50 years
• Multiple unconnected witnesses

Problems

• No physical evidence
• A breeding population would be noticed
• Biology doesn’t support “owl-men”

Paranormal Entity

The Theory

• The Owlman is supernatural
• It’s connected to the ancient church
• It manifests rather than lives biologically

Support

• The church’s age and history
• The creature’s seemingly impossible nature
• Similar entities in folklore

Legacy

Mawnan Today

The Owlman has made Mawnan:

• A destination for paranormal tourists
• Known beyond Cornwall
• Part of British cryptid lore

Ongoing Mystery

The Owlman remains:

• Unsolved
• Periodically reported
• Debated among researchers
• Part of the church’s mystique

The Question

In the woods around an ancient Cornish church, something has been seen for fifty years.

It looks like a man. It looks like an owl. It has glowing eyes and enormous wings.

It watches. Then it flies.

Real creature? Misidentified bird? Hoax perpetuated for decades? Something else entirely?

The woods around St. Mawnan’s Church are still there. The ancient building still stands. And occasionally, someone walks through those trees and sees something watching them.

Something that shouldn’t exist.

Something that flies away before they can prove what they saw.

The Owlman of Mawnan. Half a century of sightings. No answers.

Just those glowing eyes in the dark.