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Short-eared Owl
2 birds roosting in snow covered dunes here.
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Short-eared Owl
Both birds circled around but failed to get them in the same shot.
CF-Tracking and BiF.......
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Short-eared Owl
Underwing pattern well lit by snow reflection and showing black wing tips and white un-streaked belly.
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The
depths of winter is the best season in
which to locate and observe Owl species in Britain. This has proved to be the
case thanks to a very cold snap from the East with several days of snow. Being
in the grip of this harsh winter weather provided a great opportunity to see
many bird species laid bare by the snow including a confiding Bittern in the
Glaven valley.
On the
26th February myself and a fellow conservationist had stunning views of two
Short-eared Owls in the snow at the Holme Dunes Nature Reserve in the far NW corner
of the county. The birds were roosting in the dunes here as they are an open
country and ground dwelling species. The reflected light from the lying snow
caused the birds to glow when perched on a fence line and illuminated the
undersides well as they wheeled around us in flight. Short-eared Owls are most frequently
seen over the Glaven Channel area on Blakeney Fresh Marsh, a favoured hunting
spot. They have very long and narrow wings giving a beautifully languid and
buoyant flight action and therefore also the ability to cross large expanses of
sea on migration. They are often seen coming in high off the North Sea from
Northern Europe then onto the Salt Marshes of the North Norfolk coast.
The sketch is of a SEO in high winds between St Marys and St Agnes, Isles of Scilly.
As a lad I was first shown Short-eared Owls in good numbers along the embankments of Breydon Water. As with almost all ground nesting birds on their last legs as breeders Short-eared Owls attempts have now come to an end in Norfolk. But as a last gasp a pair appears to have nested at Breydon Water in 2016. Wing clapping display flight was observed in June... But the nest site reportedly seemed to be raked by a tractor before any young fledged!?
Breeding attempts are recorded from The Wash in 1960's and 70's but have ceased simply due to disturbance.
The sketch is of a SEO in high winds between St Marys and St Agnes, Isles of Scilly.
As a lad I was first shown Short-eared Owls in good numbers along the embankments of Breydon Water. As with almost all ground nesting birds on their last legs as breeders Short-eared Owls attempts have now come to an end in Norfolk. But as a last gasp a pair appears to have nested at Breydon Water in 2016. Wing clapping display flight was observed in June... But the nest site reportedly seemed to be raked by a tractor before any young fledged!?
Breeding attempts are recorded from The Wash in 1960's and 70's but have ceased simply due to disturbance.
No article
on Owls would be foolproof at this time without mention of the rare female Snowy
Owl that has recently been seen also in the NW corner of the county.
Realisation dawned that reports were not fake news when a photo of an
unidentified big white bird was shown to staff at RSPB Titchwell, much to their
surprise! A Snowy Owl as its name suggests is the most stunningly crippling of
birds to behold. On the 10th March the bird duly stopped off at the Titchwell
reserve to provide all with great and prolonged views.
It would also be remiss not to mention the rather interesting near albino Barn Owl currently frequenting the Cley Beach Road and Glaven Channel area. A photo of which was rushed into the Cley Visitor Centre along with the now immortal claim 'I've just seen the Snowy Owl'...
It would also be remiss not to mention the rather interesting near albino Barn Owl currently frequenting the Cley Beach Road and Glaven Channel area. A photo of which was rushed into the Cley Visitor Centre along with the now immortal claim 'I've just seen the Snowy Owl'...
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Stonechat
Male posing in 2inch of snow but with each squall it was getting deeper and deeper...
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Stonechat
Colour ringed female in same area of scrub as male.
Noel Elms confirmed the bird is from a Dersingham Bog ringing scheme.
more data to follow.
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