Turberticus
Well-known member
Well it's almost Short-eared Owl season here in western PA. There's a location (<--- click the link) about 20 mins outside Pittsburgh that has 3-4 Short-eared Owls every winter as well as some Northern Harriers. It's a relatively large, flat open field with tall grass and a paved bike path running through the middle which sits in a shallow depression with gentle slopes on either side. I've been about 4 times and I tend to get FOMO and wander around because I see them 1/4 to 1/2 mile away, but I should probably just remain in one place and hope they come to me, but I feel that I have no idea where to sit and wait. I have flushed a few of them while walking around the slope south of the trail so I imagine that's where they roost but they tend to fly all over the place. For those of you who have had success photographing these owls, what would you suggest? Is it just random/luck of the draw that they'll eventually come to where I'm sitting, or are there patterns or behavior with their hunting that I should look for?