Barn Owls At Dawn

I’ve recently returned from a Winter Retreat in Suffolk. I visited the centre in summer for a week, one of the hottest weeks in the year, it’s now Winter with bright cold light.

Winter is one of my favourite seasons and the landscape in Suffolk seems to hold it well with it’s spacious fields and oak trees, sitting proud centre stage. Both Suffolk and Norfolk are also species rich with the Barn Owl, one of my favourite birds and there’s no better time to see the Barn Owl than in Winter. I’m always struck how many birds become more visible in Winter as their hunting patterns for food increase and they perch on the bones of trees and hedgerows.

On my first morning, I took in the beautiful dark hues of the early hours and a Barn Owl swooped passed my head. I haven’t seen one wild for about ten years, it was a delight. I stood in awe as it passed me in silent flight. Barn Owls have the most densely packed feathers more than any other bird. They catch prey in the dark hours and can swoop in unnoticed without any sound. As I walked down the track the Barn Owl came back past my head again, just a foot away and flew quietly over the pastures.

In a world where there is much focus on non-stop production, to be the best, to fill every bit of space with something, I find my need to nourish the opposite, to be in the rhythm of life, of ebb and flow.

My experience of the Barn Owl continues to bring me inspiration, delight.

Sophia

© Sophia England