An image taken on one of those few serendipitous occasions when a crap day suddenly turns good. I was up Glen Quaich, the weather was poor with persistent showers and the birds were in short supply. I decided to return home but on leaving Amulree heading towards Crieff I passed a fenced-off area of moorland which, being protected from grazing was regenerating and to my surprise noted a hunting Barn Owl. Barn Owls are on the very edge of their range in Scotland and struggle to hunt in wet and windy conditions. Being much more sedentary than Short-eared Owls the Breadalbane Glens are perhaps just a bit too extreme for them, especially in winter. This image was taken standing up through the sun roof of my car. The bird was attracted to a nearby fencepost by my creating a high-pitched squeaking noise by sucking on the back of my hand (I had seen Simon King do this on TV but never really believed it would work ....well it does!). I watched this bird for about 40 minutes during which time it caught only one vole getting its belly feathers soaked in the process. Poor feather waterproofing is the price these birds pay for sporting noise-free feathers for silent flight.