One More Time

Hopefully you’re not getting tired of seeing photos of short-eared owls because I’m not getting tired of photographing them.

It was snowing lightly when I left the house and headed for the hill where the short-eared owls and harriers fly in search of meadow voles, or white-footed mice, or perhaps a small bird upon which to feed.

By the time I got to the hill the owls were already flying and there were a few snowflakes in the air. They were joined by four harriers that would sometimes disappear over the hill and then come back to fly swiftly over the fields.

It was hard to tell, but there appeared to be from three to five owls flying on the hill that evening. Several times an owl flew over with its beak open as it called –

Along the road are steel stakes, marking culvert locations, on which the owls often land as well as a square wooden stake out in the field where they do the same – 

 

But usually the owls were busy hunting for a meal –

Normally they hunted while they were flying, but occasionally they hunted from one of the posts –

Short-eared owls head north to their nesting areas in March, so they’ll soon be gone until late fall when I plan to be back on the hill awaiting their arrival.