A day out with two shorties

 

We turned off the main road into a lovely bit of Cotswolds farmland bordered by iconic stone walls. I was out for the day with too shorties. My vertically challenged friends being - the driver - "Excitable Brian" and "Happy Paul". For a change I was like Alan Sugar in the back of a luxury mobile a back seat passenger being chauffeured to my birding destination.

Our target was Short Eared Owls. The place we were at is one of the worst kept secrets in the birding community but like many other birders and photographers I am not going to publicly say exactly where it is but people get to know via word of mouth so to be honest its no big secret these days.

Brian was already getting super exited as he had spotted Yellowhammers almost straightaway. Paul told him he may see Corn Buntings and he began to reach fever pitch in excitement. He was bouncing in the driving seat and honestly I did not know whether he was going to lose control of his car and we would end up in a ditch as his head was almost spinning around madly looking in every direction.

He parked up in one of the usual spots Paul and I have been to previously when watching Barn Owls -you can read about it on this previous blog post about "Owl City" - thats what I call this place.

As usual in these popular birding spots there were already cars parked up. The strange thing though was there was hardly any photographers. Then out of the mist appeared a young photographer dressed from head to foot in camouflage, like he had just done tour in Afganistan with the British Army. But instead of a gun he was carrying an expensive looking camera with a big lens. He was a nice chap and we  had a good chat. I like people who are honest and down to earth. Some of the community from time to time can be like camera snobs and have a habit of looking you up and down first to see whether there camera is bigger than yours. Always makes me laugh especially those carrying massive prime bazooka like lenses who seem to have an inferiority complex and would not be seen dead with a little lens like my OM-1 kit. I would love to write a comedy about the goings on in the birder/togger world.

Brian, Paul and I had a wander to explore as there was no sign of any owls. I asked two chaps in camouflage and carrying big lenses if they had seen anything yet as they were walking away from further down the lane. "Nothing"seen was the reply and they told me, "I would be lucky to see any owls until 12pm".I was very doubtful about this. Paul and Brian had vanished. I was getting suspicious Paul usually does a disappearing act when he sees something good and strangely the last time I had seen Paul he was trying to keep up with a very excitable Brian who was running about like a kid on baby reigns.

I headed after them. The mist was quickly being burnt off by the rising sun. In the next gap I looked across a grassy wasteland and spied a lot of cars parked up in the next lance the other side of the field and loads of toggers with cameras trained on something in the next field.

I began to quicken my pace - there must be Short Eared Owls over there.

I caught up with Brian and Paul. Both were excited and had clocked what I had seen. As soon as we got closer Brian turned up his excitement switch to level 11 - If you have watched the film Spinal Tap you will know what I mean ;).

Brian was shouting "Blair theres a Shorty, Paul  -theres two shorties - OMG theres three shorties" This was the first time Brian had ever seen a SEO and he was so excited that he had almost levitated off the ground.

He was not causing any kind of ruckus he was just an excited chap seeing his first Short Eared Owl. His enthusiasm was infectious and great to see.

There were Short- Eared Owls in every direction we looked. We counted at least eight birds. I camped up towards the end of the field near a stone wall and waited for the birds to come to me. The owls remained distant but when they quartered the field they came closer.

They liked to land on one of the stone walls. Preen and then fly off quartering the field. Now and again the birds squabbled and all the time a female Kestrel watched from a nearby tree top.

The Short Eared Owls flew low most of the time on their long wings flying just above the grassy tussocks. Then they would turn quickly , their incredibly yellow eyes focussed on a spot on the ground and then drop in a dive with outstretched talons. I remember watching a BBC documentary about Owls and Falcons and it was thought then that the owls stun if not kill their rodent prey when they drop on them from height.

The owl if unsuccessful would then fly back to its favourite perch on the stone wall. We were treated to quite a few nice shows of the owls landing on the wall. Whilst distant I could get reasonably good pictures using the super zoom of the Nikon P1000. 

At one point the same two photographers who has told me I would be lucky to see anything by 12pm turned up - it was now 10.30 am there must have been at least six birds flying about!

We were treated to many flybys some of them quite close. It was a joy to see so many Short Eared Owls.

I watched one of the owls catch an unlucky rodent on two occasions and got robbed of both by the ever watchful female Kestrel. Owls are not the smartest of birds. I noticed that the SEO would catch a rodent and then wait holding their prey and look around - why they just don't gobble the vole up quickly I don't know but instead some seemed to wait until the falcon turned up - which was unerringly quickly.

 Then they would fight. I think the Falcon was smart. Her strategy was to distract. The owl nearly every time would react to her hovering above and show its talons but leave the vole or mouse on the ground. That was all the Kestrel needed - she would then swoop down grab the rodent and fly off, dining on its stolen prey on a nearby tree.

The SEO would then very miserably go back to its spot on the wall. I almost felt sorry for the owl as it had done all the hard work only to be robbed by the sneaky Kestrel.

Later the owls began to show in another field and we went there for a change of scenes.

There was a post in the middle of a field where a solitary Short Eared Owl was perched.

I watched this bird for ages. It would leave the perch and hunt quartering the field and then return to post.

Eventually it caught what I think was a field mouse. The owl returned to the perch with its prey. Waited, looked around , the Kestrel which seemed to be ever present was no where to be seen. I expected to see it eat the rodent but it did not. Instead the owl left the perch, landed and gobbled up the mouse.

I then had a call from Happy Paul requesting my presence close by as he had eye balls on another SEO which was showing nicely.

I walked to where Paul was but unfortunately the showy owl had left its perch and had started quartering a field of cut arable crop.

The bird had sat up on the found with just its head showing whilst a load of pheasants strolled by.

I just love the eyes of these Short Eared owls. Its just makes then stand out and especially with their black mascara.

Sunset was soon to be upon us so we decided to return to our the field we had first watched the owls.

The light was now fantastic and was a lovely golden colour.

For one last time we watched the owls. One bird showed really well hunting directly in front of us giving fantastic views.

So that was the end of a fantastic day in the Cotswolds. The sun was setting and the light fading it was time to go home. It was a wonderful way to finish my birding for 2024.

A big thank you to Excitable  Brian for doing the driving - his enthusiasm is infectious. As ever Mr Joy kept us entertained and did the navigating.

To all my readers I wish you and your families Good Health and Happiness for 2025 and lots of great birding and photography for 2025.

I am signing off now as this is my last blog of 2024. Thanks for reading.