At midnight, a pair of oriental scops owls flapped their wings towards the pitch dark sky, venturing out to look for food, not for themselves, but for the hungry chicks in their nest.

The couple left together, and later the male brought back a big cricket, and the female, a fat worm.

Bird lover Fang Qiaoran took these photos during a birdwatching trip in central China's Henan Province in June. According to her, the bird nest is one of many man-made wooden boxes installed by the staff at Dongzhai National Nature Reserve during birds' breeding season.

The nocturnal bird, found in eastern and southern Asia, is a small, variable plumaged and yellow eyed owl. It's under second-class state protection in China.

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(All photos by Fang Qiaoran)

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