Tim Melling – Long-eared Owls

Tim writes: Long-eared Owls are not especially easy to see in Britain as they are patchily distributed and are generally elusive, usually only emerging to hunt after sunset. Fortunately I live near one of its patches in the South Pennines so I see them fairly regularly, but getting a photograph is never easy.  This one appeared a little early in the evening when the sun was still up and it turned and made eye-contact with me as it flew past.  Also is a photograph of another individual on a fence post in a hay meadow on the moorland edge.  They usually nest in old crows’ nests in trees though I have seen ground nesters (like Short-eared).  They often nest in conifer plantations on the moorland edge but they prefer to hunt over open country for their favourite prey, field voles.  In the evenings I sometimes see both Long and Short-eared Owls flying together when they look very similar.

[registration_form]