Photo of the month

Little, but large in character

by Alice Rainger

Standing at just 20cm tall, the little owl or Athena Nocturna, is about the size of this page of Molton Monthly! They were first introduced to the UK in the late 1800s.

This beautiful image was captured for our February photo of the month by Alice Rainger, “It has taken many hours of waiting patiently to take this picture. These owls have captivated me since I first stumbled across them on one of our leisurely walks here in South Molton.”

“They have huge characters for such small owls and can be very protective of their territory and their young. I often watched them put the magpies in their place! I feel very lucky to have such a wide variety of nature to connect with on our doorstep.”

Alice says she has a deep passion for British wildlife, and as a mum of two energetic boys they often find themselves exploring Exmoor and the stunning countryside in North Devon. You can see more of her work on social media: facebook.com/aliceraingerwildlife

Whether it’s wildlife like this, rural life, a landscape, nature, special events, sports, a local character or something else - please keep emailing us your pictures. We usually only feature one each month in the magazine, but show more on our Instagram and Facebook pages: @MoltonMonthly