Stumbling upon Short-Eared Owls
I volunteer for a children’s charity and we’re having a meeting of our trustees in Oxfordshire. I check a map and see we’ll be meeting next to RSPB Otmoor. I’ve been to RSPB Otmoor before, back in 2017 and had an idyllic day there.
There were butterflies:
Rare birds:
And some inspiration to look back at my old Ladybird books, with beautiful views of Linnets:
This is my chance to go there again, after our trustee meeting.
It’s mid-afternoon when I arrive and see photographers there, and one kindly tells me there are Short-Eared Owls about. I wait and sure enough, one flies past.
Those eyes, though. Incredible, aren’t they?
I love how long owl’s legs are. You’d never guess it unless you saw them.
I can see two in the air at the same time, with four Magpies in attendance:
They are so high and distant now, but I can see them interacting with one another, and one is briefly upside-down with its talons in the air.
The light’s not good and it’s getting dark unreasonably early, but I’m too fascinated by the owl’s hunting behaviour to leave. I love the twist and plunge it does.
I haven’t seen it catch anything yet, tonight.
There’s always tomorrow.
More Short-Eared Owls
Sunset owl There's a Short-Eared Owl hunting over the fields and we see it land on a post just up the road… read more
Owl across the road As I drive back to the house I spot a Short-Eared Owl on a fence post. I swing the car… read more
Cattie-face There's been a Cattie-face (a Short-Eared Owl) hunting in Skelwick for months now. I see it often when I travel… read more
“Owl!” We've been sitting in this bird hide for three hours. There's been nothing. A distant Curlew. A noisy Blackbird rushing… read more
An early morning I'm not usually out early in the morning. You might have noticed that my blog contains many, many sunset photographs… read more
2021 highlights of a wilder Orkney life I had a wonderful time on Westray in Orkney in 2021. The Puffins returned to breed and provided constant entertainment… read more
The Short-Eared Owl makes another appearance We've toured the Island today and our final destination is the Ouse. There were reports of a Short Eared Owl… read more
The shock of an Owl I'm standing in the garden of Einar, against a stone wall, taking photographs of Swallows. They're great to practise on… read more
A wild Neolithic hat-trick It's time for me to catch the ferry away from Orkney for a short while. I have an evening to… read more