A WAYWARD owl which went missing twice in two years has been found dead.

Elsie the barn owl flew the nest last month when a gust of wind blew her off course, leaving her brother, Burt, home alone.

Owner Frank Gill, of Gainford, near Darlington, had appealed for help in The Northern Echo in 2000 when Elsie first went missing. And he found himself with no option to do so again after the latest incident.

But a gamekeeper in Summerhouses, between Darlington and Staindrop, found Elsie's body in a tree, where her tethers had been caught, stopping her from moving.

The owl was later identified by Mr Gill, using her ring.

Last night, he told The Northern Echo: "It's not very nice, but at least I know what's happened to her. At least I still have her brother."