Wildlife photography of a Barred Owl perched in a birch tree in Minnesota snow

Perched in a Birch tree, silently seeking prey with eyes among the sharpest of any in the animal kingdom, this Barred Owl cuts a dramatic presence as watchman of a Wintry bog in Minnesota. Owls are ambush hunters, flying so silently through even the densest of forest as to give rodents and other small mammals almost no warning before striking with incredible speed and accuracy.