With some pretty fall-colored leaves in the background, this male Barn Owl patrols an open field on the lookout for a meal. Photo opportunities of these nocturnal raptors do not come often as during the day they are usually hiding away.
For this image, I “cheated” a bit and took part in a workshop where I had the opportunity to get pictures of this captive bird. Named Cupid, he belongs to a raptor group that used him for educational purposes.
Like most owls, they are nocturnal and during the day they usually hang out in tree cavities, dense stands of trees and of course barns and other spots well out of sight. These medium-sized owls can be found across most of the globe, including the contiguous United States.
