In Search of Short-eared Owls at Burwell Fen

9th December 2018

This was my second visit to Burwell Fen for Short-eared Owls this Winter , trying to build on the success on my first visit.The action started by the car park where a few Fieldfares were feeding on the crop of Buckthorn berries. These were quite tricky as they were hidden inside the bushes and were therefore not only obscured, but also in shade. However, eventually I did manage to get a line-of-sight on one and was able to grab a couple of shots.

Out on the fen now and in place for the photo-shoot, so just a matter of waiting to see if the owls would fly while the sun was still out. Luckily there were a few distractions to entertain the gathered throng during the wait such as this male Reed Bunting which was feeding quite close to the fence.

A lone Common Buzzard drifted across much to the annoyance of the crows, but was totally unconcerned.

However, the main sideshow was this Kestrel which was sitting around on posts, hovering whilst on the look-out for prey, and finally enjoying the sun during the golden hour.

So what about the owls? Well, four did eventually fly but not much before 4pm when the light had gone making photography impossible. Unfortunately, that is life in the photography world, but I will be back for another attempt in the New Year.