THE recent cold snap may have posed problems for some birds, but not for Rosie, the great horned owl at the New Forest Owl Sanctuary at Crow, near Ringwood.

Rosie's ancestors have their homes in the arctic wastes of northern Russia and can quite comfortably endure temperatures of minus 30 degrees Celsius.

Sanctuary owner Bruce Berry said: "She was born here five years ago and this is the first time she's seen real snow, but she won't mind it a bit."

And, like all the other owls at Crow, she is being given just a little bit extra at feeding times to make sure the cold stays on the outside.

That, says Mr Berry, is a far cry from the hunt for food of her distant relatives in Russia.

"Because of their very strong hearing, they can search for mice and lemmings which might be underneath thick snow.

"Their eyesight is pretty good, too. They can see a rabbit from a mile away," he said.