COULD it be that Tiny the owl is on the prowl again?That is the question being asked by bird lovers after a rare type of owl was snapped in a Suffolk garden.

COULD it be that tiny the owl is on the prowl again?

That is the question being asked by bird lovers after a rare type of owl was snapped in a Suffolk garden.

The normally nocturnal creature was spotted in the back garden in Shotley Gate in the middle of the day and experts at Suffolk Owl Sanctuary in Stonham Barns, say it is most likely the spectacular bird belongs to a falconer and has escaped.

The uncommon sighting comes more than 18 months after Tiny, an eagle owl that escaped from a home in Valley Road, Ipswich.

It is not known if it is the same bird.

In January last year an appeal was launched by Tiny's owner through The Evening Star to find the feathered companion following warnings that she could attack small cats or dogs.

The plea prompted a flurry of sightings as people kept an eye out for the feathered fugitive.

Tiny was nine months old when she disappeared meaning the bird would now be approaching three-years-old.

Paul and Dina Bedwell, of Great Harlings, in Shotley Gate, were wide-eyed when they saw the latest sighting of huge owl sitting proudly in their tree.

They immediately reached for their camera to snap away at the rare sight.

It is believed the owl is an Indian eagle owl, or an Aharoni's eagle owl.

Mrs Bedwell said: “We have never seen an owl during the day before. He was there for about 45 minutes. We wondered if it had escaped from somewhere.”

Maz Robinson, from Suffolk Owl Sanctuary in Stonham Barns, said: “It would appear that this owl is a

is a Indian eagle owl, or possibly a Aharoni's eagle owl. It is no doubt an escapee and belongs to a falconer.

“Many owls are diurnal, which means they will hunt during the day, so perhaps this one was just hungry.”

Is this your owl? Have you spotted it? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk.

The Indian eagle's food of choice is rodents and birds, whereas an Aharoni's eagle owl snacks on mainly mammals, from shrews up to foxes and young deer.