
Owls on social media and in real life "I love owls!" -you've heard it a thousand times. But some people don't, and many cultures hold owls to be harbingers of doom or similar. I won't dwell on that, but I think others dislike owls too - the AI brigade. How can you transform a beautiful bird from its natural plumage to some garish multicoloured effigy, and then post it in a so-called owl lovers group? The same applies to other species, but owls seem to be particular targets. I wouldn't want to stop anyone doing what they wish to do, and thankfully, I have found a group which specifically bans any artificially created images. I know I'm getting on a bit, but I'm sure I get more pleasure and sense of satisfaction from painting or photographing owls. When I started birding if you wanted to see an owl you had to find it yourself, or find someone who would show you one. One of the last regular British birds I saw was Long-eared owl, but things are obviously ...