Me and Mo

It was love at first sight from the moment I laid eyes on this fluffy brown owl in April 2014 supervising a media falconry experience.

Over the two PR placements working at the Castle I've been involved in several filming and photoshoots with Mozart, a European Eagle Owl, but every time I've been busy holding cameras or tripods or herding camera crew from wondering off.

Head Falconer Mark hadn't realised I'd never flown Mo and kindly offered for me to visit the arena at lunchtime today.

I love the gentle sound of his call and the velvet-like feel of his soft feathers and his eyes just melt my heart. He only weighed about as much as a bag of sugar which is surprising as he looks so heavy. We had a lovely little chat and lots of cuddles (strokes) and an #owlselfie

From the photos you can see the pure joy on my face as my smile beams with happiness. Mo has always been my favourite owl at the Castle and I feel so honoured to have flown him. The next couple of months he'll be in his aviary getting fat as it's time for his annual moult.

My colleague Hannah raised Mo from a baby and she loves her boy so very much. And I can see why. I expect they'll be a queue of friends and family wanting to book an owl experience now!

My photos and video are up on my Instagram @flyingPRgal