TropicBirdArt Blog from Holt

Saturday, 10 March 2018

20180310 Snowy Owl Thornham Point

Snowy Owl

Resulting field sketch to commemorate a great day.

See Gallery tab above.

Snowy Owl

1st winter female happily on the deck in dunes for over 10mins....

Snowy Owl

Flushed by the twitch arriving on dune top behind bird...

Snowy Owl

Rain early morning causing underparts to look rather bedraggled.

Snowy Owl

Flew over our position and out onto the beach.

Snowy Owl

Following on from last month's article further research on the Snowy Owl has sadly highlighted its declining status, this fantastic species now faces a high risk of extinction.

The Iconic Snowy Owl has recently been classed as vulnerable and moved onto the Red List by the IUCN. Following work by BirdLife International this nomadic and patchy breeder is less numerous and widespread than previously thought. The global population could be as low as 5,000 pairs. Illegal hunting as ever and collisions with vehicles are cited as reasons for the decline along with the effects of climate change in the high Arctic. Snow melt can affect the availability and distribution of lemmings their primary prey species during the breeding period. Its breeding distribution is in the tundra climatic zone and circumpolar so you would think well away from any unhelpful attention from humanoids. Unfortunately the Owl prefers an exposed dry hummock on which to nest and to also act as a lookout post with all-round views. Being a nomadic breeder nest sites are not usually reused in successive years.

The Snowy Owl is adapted to the severities of its habitat in having dense and downy plumage with the feathers also concealing its bill and legs. This adaptation to tundra is reflected in habitat preferences of winter vagrants occurring on sparsely vegetated islands, as at Scolt Head, coasts with extensive salt marsh, and inland moors. The bird that turned up on the North Norfolk Coast was considered to be a first winter female due to extensive dark brown barring. First winter males are less contrasted the barring is lighter brown and less distinct. From a distance young males have a pale brown appearance, whereas young females look grey. This female on the morning of 10th March looked even darker as it rain heavily overnight and into the early hours, her underparts looking bedraggled and black as water logged. Females are even larger than males by about 20%, and almost the size of the Eurasian Eagle Owl, the biggest of all owls.

Snowy Owl

Found the only post out on Thornham Point

Snowy Owl

Wednesday, 28 February 2018

20180228 Bella of Antarctica

Bella in snow.

Unfazed and maintained grip.

Then sat down in sub-zero temperatures....?!
Please note Bella is not taken for walks on Nature Reserves and therefore has not attacked or disturbed any wildlife.

Monday, 26 February 2018

20180226 Short-eared Owl NWT Holme Dunes

Short-eared Owl

2 birds roosting in snow covered dunes here.

Short-eared Owl

Both birds circled around but failed to get them in the same shot.

CF-Tracking and BiF.......

Short-eared Owl

Underwing pattern well lit by snow reflection and showing black wing tips and white un-streaked belly.

Short-eared Owl

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.

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'...