Short Eared Owl

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 I have never seen this bird near the house but it is certainly a bird of the Upper Eden Valley and I have seen it on the moors 6 or 7 miles from here (where these photographs were taken).



Unlike the tawny owl that I have covered previously, this bird is not wedded to a territory but travels around depending on the availability of food (large distances sometimes of 100s of km). This species is far more diurnal (active during the day) than other owls. The preferred habitat is open moors or marshes. The owl feeds mostly on voles. Short eared owls nest on the ground where they are vulnerable to predators. They attack anything threatening their nest and have been known to use the "broken wing trick" to divert predators away from the nest.

Diary Notes.
I went for a walk yesterday along the Smardale nature reserve. I saw a flock of around 50 fieldfare. I haven't seen any of theses around here since mid January when they stripped the trees of berries and headed South. I think maybe these birds are on their way back towards their summer home in Scandinavia and are just passing through. I also saw a pair of kestrel on the cliffs by the old lime kiln, and. couple of ravens. In the fields near Newbiggin there was a flock of 20 or so meadow pipit.
I tried another location for camera traps last night and had them near the little stream though our bottom field. It turned out to be a mistake and after torrential rain last night I was faced with rescuing a camera before it was submerged. It was so wild last night that I have no wildlife footage to show. The fields are flooded this morning and the stream is close to overtopping its banks.


This post is my 75th consecutive daily post. The UK Govt Covid  regulations ease tomorrow and we are allowed to travel more widely so I will cease to post every day as I will be doing other things but I will post from time to time when ever there is something worth saying!



Comments

  1. OhBrother17 April 2021 at 01:19

    That is one righteous bird (as they would say in California). Catching up with your posts and hope you are travelling further afield. I'm on the coast of Texas birding and taking pics before heading up to Dallas at the end of the month. Stay well....Dave.

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