Last winter was memorable for the large influx of Short-eared Owls to many sites across the south-east of England. Not only were they present at many sites, but also in good numbers with 6+ at Rainham Marshes, 6+ at Wallasea Island and a staggering 20 at Burwell Fen. Sadly, this has not been repeated so far this winter with only a handful of individuals being reported at a few sites, but no long-stayers. I was therefore heartened to hear that up to 5 birds had been reported in The Fens and set of to investigate.
As is the norm in The Fens it was absolutely freezing with frost still on the ground and an arctic blast across a flat landscape. The good news was it was a beautiful sunny day, so time to settle down with a cup of tea and wait for the owls to appear. We didn't have to wait long and spent the next hour and a half filling up the memory card. It was difficult to say how many owls were present, but at one point there were 5 in the air at once, so probably more than that overall.
Here is a selection of my shots.
Definitely worth another visit on the next sunny day!!!
Great action shots of a bird I have never seen in the flesh! Very nimble on the wing.
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