Painting a Barn Owl...

This Barn Owl's name is Storm. She's a rescued owl from RAPTOR, Inc. One day last fall, Matty and I went to a photo shoot of the raptors. I based this painting on one of the photos Matty took. It made him happy that I preferred his photo over all of mine! Storm is a beautiful bird. She is a working educational bird with RAPTOR, Inc. because her wing was damaged and she can no longer fly.

Painting 208. Storm the Barn Owl

(watercolor, 12x16)

Pencil sketch of Storm the Barn Owl.

I sketched this drawing in the car (of course) while waiting to pick Matty up from school. Matty is just a week or so away from receiving his driver's license. It will be nice to gain some time back in my schedule, but when am I going to get all of my sketching in? I love leaving work to go pick him up. It's always great to take a sketching break...

Barns Owls are not that common in Ohio. In all my life I've only heard a Barn Owl call in the night twice—the first time was in 1990 in the pine trees in our backyard where we used to live, and the second time was two years ago in our backyard. I got out Peterjohn's "The Birds of Ohio—with Ohio Breeding Bird Atlas Maps" to see what the Ohio breeding population actually was (pg 264). It's very low. Peterjohn reports that Barn Owls really didn't take hold in Ohio until the mid-1800s after the thick forests of the countryside were cut and converted to farmland. The first specimen was collected from the Cincinnati area around 1861. Most Barn Owls are not permanent residents in Ohio. As spring migrants, Barn Owls arrive between March 15 and April 15. A few Barn Owls do overwinter here, though, most of them in southern and central Ohio. Unlike Great Horned Owls, who are already nesting, Barn Owls begin nesting in mid-April. Nestlings hatch through June and July, and young fledge by mid-August.

About RAPTOR, Inc.

Most of the birds that flow through RAPTOR are treated, rehabbed, and released back into nature, but some can never heal from their injuries and stay on as permanent residents and working birds. RAPTOR, Inc. is a non-profit organization committed to the preservation of birds of prey. RAPTOR stands for the Regional Association for the Protection and Treatment of Raptors. Members of RAPTOR, Inc. rehabilitate and care for injured birds of prey until they can be released back into the wild. Click here for RAPTOR, Inc.'s HackBack newsletter and to learn how to donate to the organization, volunteer, or sponsor a banded raptor.

RAPTOR, Inc.'s 2012 Calendar

I'm in this year's RAPTOR, Inc. calendar! My photo of Pricilla, the Barred Owl, is April's raptor. Click here for Pricilla's story. Click here if you'd like to buy the calendar. All proceeds benefit RAPTOR, Inc., and your contribution is tax deductible. Cost is $17.50.

Click here for Storm's story.
Click here for more of the birds from RAPTOR, Inc.