Nature: Honorable Mention 2025 (professional)
ENTRY DESCRIPTION
In the photo, I present Mirtilla, a female Barn Owl guest at the "I Falchi di Rocca Romana" Birds of Prey Flight Center, a beautiful facility located in Italy, specifically in Trevignano Romano, in the province of Rome (Lazio).
The center deals with environmental education whose on environmental education and its mission is to educate the public aboutto the knowledge of the world of birds of prey and the ethical practice of falconry. This is achieved through educational demonstrations designed to emphasize the great care and respect that must be shown towards all the various diurnal and nocturnal species of birds of prey, respecting their natural behavior and using training based solely on the care, knowledge, and love owed to these splendid birds.
Mirtilla is 4 years old and is one of three Barn Owls resident on center, a very sweet specimen and attentive to everything around her.
In this shot, I didn't just want to pay homage to the her magnificent figure, but also to show the public how the Barn Owl species is for me a world waiting to be discovered.
I consider them extremely intelligent and possess a unique and sensitive inner soul, a beauty that transcends the ordinary and the shadows, to explore reality in total silence, guided only by instinct and curiosity.
Anyone who has encountered this species in captivity or in the wild knows full well that the Barn Owl can look deeply into your eyes as if it were speaking directly to you; therefore, in the shot, Mirtilla's gaze offers the viewer a perspective that goes beyond, prompting them to question about what he was looking at with such interest at that precise moment.
I thank Mirtilla for allowing me to identify with her thoughts and the Flight Center for the great educational
AUTHOR
Petra Trivilino, Italian Animal Photographer, lives in Abruzzo and carries out this activity
as a freelancer from 2018 to today.
He has been actively engaged in ethical photography stalking in the wild for more than seven years, mainly in the mountains.
He boasts numerous collaborations with park authorities and naturalistic oases in his region and has received various national and international awards in many photography competitions.
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