With their heart-shaped faces and pale feathers, they are beautiful birds ... Keep still and silent and a barn owl will ...

The barn owl is one of Northern Ireland's rarest birds ... They also struggle to hunt in extreme weather conditions. Their soft feathers are not waterproof, so excessive rainy, cold or windy ...

This young bird can't have been out the nest for long. When barn owl chicks first hatch they lack feathers but these develop over time starting with a thin layer of down. By the time they are 5 ...

In flight they are ghostly white and their feathers are designed to make flight ... South Shropshire RSPB celebrate the barn owl. Photo: Geoff Hall Families are welcome to come and visit and ...