This is the second in a series of ten paintings for my thesis, An Illustrative Exploration of Birds of Prey in History and Culture. In this painting, I look at how the presence of barn owls on farms is beneficial to humans.

According to a study by the University of California Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, for a pair of Barn Owls with six mouths to feed, the eight birds can eat 1,000 mice, voles, and other small mammals during one season of nesting (source: [link]). Small rodents can destroy crops and infest grain, and the presence of these silent hunters help farmers immensely.

I wanted to show the softness and silence of these birds, and the soft light of near dawn seemed to fit well. I really enjoyed creating this illustration, and I feel I learned a lot in terms of technique while working on it.

_{About 10.5 X 17 inches, watercolor on cold-press Arches}