Owlman

[1][2] Reported sightings of it flying above the church tower have led some to believe the creature may have been a barn owl, a species that commonly nests in such places.

[4] According to most versions of the story, the girls, identified as June and Vicky Melling, were so frightened by the sight of a large "feathered bird-man" that their father Don immediately cut short their family holiday after hearing their tale.

[1][5] The story was subsequently related in a pamphlet entitled Morgawr: The Monster of Falmouth Bay by Anthony Mawnan-Peller, which circulated throughout Cornwall in 1976.

[5][1][7] According to author Joe Nickell, church towers are common nesting places for barn owls, which were likely the source of the sightings.

[3][2] Author and Fortean TV presenter Reverend Lionel Fanthorpe identifies the sighting of a Eurasian eagle-owl as a likely source of the legend.