Owls Galore – In the Field

A Short-eared Owl pauses on a ditch bank after capturing a vole in the photo above.

As mentioned in the previous post there have been many Short-eared Owls in western Washington this winter. That post focused on owls in flight, when they are often the easiest to see. However, at rest, their streaky brown plumage makes for excellent camouflage, and they may be overlooked.

Their habit of sitting on the ground for long periods can make them hard to spot in the tall grasses:

This one keeps a lookout from a road sign:

Another pauses for a moment on a power line:

These two individuals have each found their very own “keep out” sign to rest on:

Hoping to spot some owls, I went for a walk in a wildlife management area. I saw a couple of them that were too distant for the camera. But when I returned to the parking lot, this owl was waiting on a fence post:

This sort of thing happens to me a lot!