Incredible time-lapse footage shows a sand artist painstakingly carving a giant picture of an owl on a beach to celebrate the start of 2022 – using a garden rake.

Claire Eason, 55, used the natural rock formations to illustrate the bird’s chest plumage while others were turned into a perch.

The retired GP was asked to created temporary artwork for a friend whose husband had an affinity for barn owls.

Claire worked in Worksop, Notts., for 30 years before relocating to the North East to pursue her passion for sand art.

She spent four hours meticulously creating the owl on Beadnell beach in Northumberland on New Year’s Eve.

She said: “I drew it following contact from the wife of a retired paediatrician I trained under, many years ago.

“He had been in hospital for a long time and was allowed home just before Christmas.

“Whilst admitted, he noticed a family of owls in a tree outside the window.

“To celebrate his homecoming, he wanted an owl drawing, which I was delighted to create.

“The scattered rocks reminded me of the dappled chest plumage of a barn owl.

“The seaweed covered linear rock formation suggested a leafy branch, making an ideal perch.”