Middletons Hotel on Skeldergate in York really plays a big part in the York ice trail. There are always other activities beside the ice sculptures, and this shot shows one of the birds of prey on display. For a small fee, you can have one of the birds perch on your hand. It was quite a popular activity, and the funds raised would help support the York Birds of Prey Centre. Sadly, the centre isn't in the city itself, but in one of the villages to the north that isn't easy to get to by public transport.
Wikipedia says this about barn owls - "The barn owl (Tyto alba) is the most widely distributed species of owl in the world and one of the most widespread of all species of birds, being found almost everywhere in the world except for the polar and desert regions, Asia north of the Himalayas, most of Indonesia, and some Pacific Islands. The barn owl is nocturnal over most of its range; but in Great Britain and some Pacific Islands, it also hunts by day. Barn owls specialise in hunting animals on the ground and nearly all of their food consists of small mammals, which they locate by sound, their hearing being very acute. The owls usually mate for life unless one of the pair is killed, whereupon a new pair bond may be formed. Breeding takes place at varying times of the year, according to the locality, with a clutch of eggs, averaging about four in number, being laid in a nest in a hollow tree, old building, or fissure in a cliff. The female does all the incubation, and she and the young chicks are reliant on the male for food. When large numbers of small prey are readily available, barn owl populations can expand rapidly; and globally the bird is considered to be of least conservation concern."
Thank you all for your comments and favs, they are very much appreciated.
The Ice trail was a very good event - it's one of my favourite events of the year in York.
Ian
Thank you! It is amazing how happy these birds were with people.
Ian