A clumsy owl
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understandinguncertainty.org was produced by the Winton programme for the public understanding of risk based in the Statistical Laboratory in the University of Cambridge. The aim was to help improve the way that uncertainty and risk are discussed in society, and show how probability and statistics can be both useful and entertaining.
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Many years ago I lived in Haslemere in Surrey, and each evening, for 20 years, I had the pleasure of driving the 15 miles home from Guildford where I worked. To avoid the almost constant traffic queues on the A3 at the Hindhead traffic lights, I invariably took an alternative route through the surrounding country lanes. There were several routes to choose from and each day I would pick one at random. This one time, it was just after 7 in the evening and quite dark, I was driving home through Elstead, and had just joined the Tilford road towards Haslemere. I was listening to the Archers on the radio. George Barford was passing on some words of wisdom to a young William Grundy about owls. He explained that some owls can be pretty stupid animals and it would not be uncommon to see one fly into a tree or the side of a barn.
As I listened I passed the “Pride of the Valley” pub (I did not call in!!) and made my way up the hill on the narrow winding road towards Hindhead. All of a sudden, in the darkness ahead, I could see a large owl flying towards me. It was only a metre or so above the road and it seemed to be gliding, with its wings outstretched and motionless. As it got closer to my headlights it must have woken up to what was happening and immediately started to back-flap its wings (if that’s the correct words). I jammed on the brakes, and as I came to a halt the owl managed to slow itself. Its claws just touched the bonnet of the car and gently brushed the windscreen as it managed to get control and moved off sideways. I sat there with my mouth open for what seemed like ages but it was probably just a few seconds. I jumped out of the car to look for an injured bird but it was now nowhere in sight, and I can only assume it had managed to clear the top of the hedgerow and fly off across the field into the dark. By now a couple of other cars had pulled up behind me, so I quickly got back in and drove home very slowly – very shocked at the encounter and more shocked by the strangest of coincidences I have ever experienced.
Date submitted:Sun, 22 Jan 2012 12:00:27 +0000Coincidence ID:5677
