- Post score: 20
- #1
Out walking off some of the Christmas Day's excess on the rough pastured hills above Belfast, I was fortunate enough to come across this Short-eared Owl hunting.
Short-eared Owls, or "shorties" are about the same size as Barn Owls, but with longer wings.
They are daylight hunters and are best spotted in winter when numbers are inflated by migrant birds coming over from Scandanavia, Northern Russia and Iceland.
Relatively large numbers have been spotted in N.Ireland this winter, which may be indicative of early, severe weather in N.Europe or a shortage of Voles, their primary food .source .
The large yellow eyes are very prominent, and combined with their highly tuned hearing, enable them to see and hear movement in the grass from up to 50 metres away.
A wonderful late Christmas Day birthday present for me and a spectacle I felt privileged to watch !
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Short-eared Owls, or "shorties" are about the same size as Barn Owls, but with longer wings.
You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.
They are daylight hunters and are best spotted in winter when numbers are inflated by migrant birds coming over from Scandanavia, Northern Russia and Iceland.
You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.
Relatively large numbers have been spotted in N.Ireland this winter, which may be indicative of early, severe weather in N.Europe or a shortage of Voles, their primary food .source .
You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.
The large yellow eyes are very prominent, and combined with their highly tuned hearing, enable them to see and hear movement in the grass from up to 50 metres away.
You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.
A wonderful late Christmas Day birthday present for me and a spectacle I felt privileged to watch !
