There is nothing more exhilarating than watching a great winged barn own silently swoop through the mist of the early morning.
At that magical time, when the sky is still shrouded in sleep, the barn owl is out hunting.
These incredible birds are very shy and it is a lucky moment if you spot one.
The common barn owl, so-called to distinguish it from other barn owls, is one of a group of birds that are more widely distributed than any other. Their acute hearing allows them to hunt in the dark without seeing their pray, and despite the difficulties associated with pesticides – which weaken the shells of owl’s eggs and prevent...