Night Owl

I spent much of my childhood looking out of the window watching the birds. I would find joy in identifying the green woodpeckers from the spotted, watching the dunnocks and sparrow hopping about under the apple trees, and listen to the long tailed tits flush in from no where then head off to their next roost of choice. But there was one bird that I wanted to see more than any other, and that was the Barn Owl. For years I waiting to catch sight of this ghostly beauty, until one day in the car at night I saw this slow pale creature fly towards us and over us. It may seem weird to most that such a small sighting on this animals brought me such excitement and filled me with such wonder ... but Barn Owls always seemed like magical creatures to me. So otherwordly and painfully beautiful, with their strange harsh scream contrasting with their sleak white bodies. Since then, I've seen more Barn Owls, often at falconry display, perching with an easy grace that few other birds seem to manage, and each time I feel disdain for the people that prevent such a beautiful creature from spending the rest of his days stalking the night.



Quick art nouveau style sketch in inks and markers.

Please do not use without my permission.