An early birthday present on Prestwick Carr last night although a missed opportunity to boot. Unusually for a working day I had walked down rather than drove in following my trip to Ponteland so I was scopeless. Therefore I have had to rely on these hopeless shots but pretty sure this is an Asio species. Given that it sat on the fence post for twenty minutes then dropped onto the ground not to be seen in the next hour the betting is Short eared Owl just confused a little by the obvious ear tufts. Sadly Long eared Owls appear to have deserted my patch having been regular breeders up until three years ago.
Frankly it was unlikely to fly as it had likely been hounded already. There were three Kestrels, pestering two Buzzards and a squabbling family of Crows all within 100m so best stay low and hunt when the sun goes down avoiding any chance of being imaged by pesky photographers. Will now need to put some time in to see if I can confirm the ID which should become easier as the days shorten...............oh the thought of it and I'm another year deader.
The only other highlight a Nuthatch calling the odds from atop a tree in Ponteland Park and meeting RWM/MIM who had already been informed of my impending birthday by Facebook! Can't keep anything secret.
This is a Short-eared Owl for sure, sitting in a nice stance. The ear tufts on Long-eared Owl are far more obvious (as I am sure you know having had them on the patch before), they are just starting to come down from breeding grounds to wintering sights.
ReplyDeleteThanks for that Andrew. Pretty sure it's a Short eared Owl and comments made by other locals tonight suggest it may have been around for some days. Need to be sure as many people turn up on the hope once the birds are reported.
ReplyDeleteNice Little Owl Shot on one of your recent posts.