As I was hiking the North Country Trail in the Manistee National Forest near Irons, Michigan, this baby Barred Owl landed right near the pathway. He was covered in white down feathers, and his large mother was watching with a protective stance in a nearby tree. The baby watched me with curious eyes, and I was thrilled to capture the one moment of his life when he still possessed the innocence to not be afraid of a human in the quiet forest.