Blog 6: Aerial Disputes

Most images of Short-eared Owls are taken on the wing while the birds fly slow and low over rough grass fields looking for prey so it is nice when other behaviour activities are displayed.

Yesterday I managed to get quite close to two birds perched in the same field and I was also delighted when one of them lifted off and and went straight in to attack the other perched bird so now I had the chance of two birds ducking and weaving in aerial dispute behaviour as well.

Aerial disputes over territory have proved to be a regular occurrence between these birds but it rarely seems to develop into anything serious.

The skill of these birds flight patterns are a joy to watch and usually end up with both birds heading in opposite directions preferring to put their energy into hunting rather than fighting off the competition

In the shot above however one bird had already made a kill and both birds tumbled to the ground in a more serious dispute and it was the aggressor that won the day as it stole away with the other birds kill.

So if you want to appreciate a wildlife spectacle such as this, head for the high ground around dawn and dusk preferable on a day with light winds and a bright sky just like today !!

Blog 5: Hunting Short-eared Owls

When the Short-eared Owls are hunting they can move from a three metre hover to a kill in less than a third of a second to create a nice peak of the action behaviour montage.

The owls usually take-off with their kill secure in their mouths leaving their feet and legs clear to aid their take-off but once in the air as the above image demonstrates they transfer the prey back to their talons as in the shot below leaving their mouth clear to aid breathing during flight.

When the Owls connect with their prey they often hold station for a minute or so waiting for their talons to finish off the prey before going in with their mouths to be ready for take-off thereby avoiding the possibility of any eye injury that might otherwise be inflicted by their prey.

Just look at the size of the Vole in the shot above and you can see that if it was still alive the Owls eyes would indeed be in danger.

Blog 4: Short-eared Owl Portraits

Short-eared Owls have been showing well on the high ground for several days now and I have been taking advantage both in the early mornings and evenings.

The more that you can work with any given bird the more you get to understand its habits, hunting behaviour and its tolerance if any to your presence.

With these Owls having fantastic sight and hearing you can't hide from them for very long before they visually pick up on your presence or hear your camera firing so testing and finding any particular birds acceptance distance over a few days is the way forward.

All of the portraits posted here have been taken around an hour before sunset when the light levels and direct sunlight enhances these very photogenic birds bringing out the amazing yellow eye and plumage details that can really make these shots pop out.

Blog 3: Perched Short-eared Owls

Most birds tend to be photographed on the ground and flight shots are a bit more of a challenge but with the Short eared Owl the opposite seems to be the case,

The birds will rarely hesitate to fly reasonably close to you when you are near their rough field hunting ground but will not land to take a rest or to consume prey without moving away to a more acceptable distance

Once landed their mottled plumage blends in well with their surroundings and you can easily pass by without seeing them at all.

Tracking a bird in flight is probably your best bet, Take note of its landing position and surrounding land marks before moving in with as long a lens as you have available to you so that your final distance to your subject is acceptable to them.

Blog 2 Shorties AM & PM

SHORT-EARED OWLS:   Early AM.

Its Good to have Short-eared Owls back on our heath land again,  They are showing locally any time from dawn until just before 9 am in the mornings and the challenge hear is to keep out of sight with the sunrise and if possible the wind direction behind you to avoid a lot of tail end shots as they always hunt into the wind

With a heavy dew this morning the owls were all looking a bit bedraggled but it is a real joy to watch their behaviour as they quarter the rough grass fields for vole

SHORT-EARED OWLS:  From 4 pm

Given sunny conditions working with Short-eared owls hunting is usually possible for a couple of hours before the light fades when tele-converters need to be removed, Shutter speeds reduced and ISO settings increased,  So it makes sense to arrive a little early to try to get the best possible image quality.

Yesterday afternoon I watched as two lovely Owls were hunting in the same field and both of them caught a large vole quite quickly and its nice to capture this behaviour but the problem was with such good prey neither bird were up hunting again for the next hour or so.

By the time I arrived back at my car the Owls had gone to roost, The sun had set and the sky was on fire creating a fitting end to a lovely day with the Shorties !!