Quite a few sat on my garden fence, and the telephone pylons during the day and night.
They make an awful racket, bit disconcerting if your sat in your tent at night.
Description
Size: 330 mm to 430mm
Colour: The back of the short eared owl is a pale buff and dark brown in a mottled pattern. The under parts are a pale buff colour with dark brown bars in a downward pattern on the upper breast and neck. The face is an off-white with brownish rings around the eyes. The eyes are lemon yellow. And it has short 'ear tufts' which are rare to see in the field.
Behaviour
In Europe the short eared owl is a migratory bird. They will travel over a 1000 Km to winter in southern England. Short eared owls will hunt by both night and day. This owl is an expert in low-level hunting over open ground.
Breeding
The first eggs are usually laid in April and they lay between 5 and 8 eggs. Incubation is on average 27 days. Short eared owls nests in a scrape on the ground camouflaged by long grass or reeds. Second broods will be attempted if there is plenty of food available.
Food
The Short Eared Owl feeds almost exclusively (88% of their diet) on small mammals, mice, voles and shrews. The remainder is made up from birds and possibly immature rats.
Distribution
The short eared owl breeds mostly in the northern parts of the UK and parts of the south east coast. During the winter birds from Scandinavia will migrate to most of southern England.
