The witch dressed in white

On one of my excursions in the mountains, I found the ideal setting for a new photographic idea. In an old abandoned house among almond trees in the middle of the mountain, there lived a pair of barn owls Tyto alba. Right next to a window through which the owls could enter, there was a plum tree Prunus domestica, a deciduous tree native to the Caucasus, Anatolia and Persia, which the Romans introduced to Europe in the 2nd century AD. Resistant and very well adapted to our climate, it stands out for its immaculate white flowers that bloom when it is still winter, often defying ice and snow, thus becoming a symbol of purity, resistance, and hope in the face of the fleeting nature of life, reminding us that, in the middle of the harsh winter season, a new spring is about to come.

My idea was to try to capture the silent and ghostly flight of the white owl just at the moment it had to pass near the plum blossoms. To do this, I spent two weeks visiting the place to see the evolution of this enigmatic nocturnal bird and to get it used to all the devices (camera, flashes, tripods, etc.). After several unsuccessful attempts, I managed to get some snapshots, where we can see our friendly nocturnal witch with big eyes and a heart-shaped face that seems almost human, approaching the branches of the tree while emitting terrifying screams, before entering through a window into the house where it had installed its nest.

The common owl, also known as the barn owl, has always been considered by the popular imagination as a bird of ill omen due to its nocturnal habits, and there was a belief that they were evil spirits that brought bad luck, which is why they were always persecuted in a very cruel way by humans. Fortunately, today, these unfounded superstitions have been dismantled, and there are many more people who know how to appreciate its beauty, apart from the benefit it brings to the countryside, as it keeps the population of rodents and insects at bay.

Playing your song: