Last week saw me visiting the Wirral on the recommendation of a friend.

Short-eared Owls were the order of the day. I had been warned that the Shorties aren't really liking the windy conditions and that they had been observed flying whenever the wind dropped BUT whenever the wind picked-up they would stay riveted to the ground, sometimes for hours at a time.

It is almost impossible to locate one of these owls once they have taken to the ground. Their camouflage is incredible. I was lucky enough to see a Shortie go down and therefore knew where he could be located. Pointing it out to several people who arrived on the scene.

At one stage, I tried to point out to a couple of RSPB worker/volunteer where this "Shortie" had "settled in". Only one could locate it through Swarovski binoculars..... the other couldn't locate it through Leica binoculars either!..... in the end I had to go and get the tripod to set the Nikon D500 with a Sigma 150mm-600mm upon it (900mm). I focused in on the Shortie's head ( which was all that was visible) and even then it took her several minutes to "see" it!

The one below was prominently perched. But I am sure you can imagine how difficult it would be to locate if it was nestled down in the long dried grass.

It does though, get a lot easier to see them when they get up to hunt.....sometimes from a perch!

It really is a privilege to see these birds hunt. they are both balletic and frenetic at the same time. They cover so much area so quickly it is amazing to see them at work.

Equally, it is so rewarding, when you are rewarded with one of these beautiful creatures flying close to you.

If you are really lucky, you might get one that sits down in front of you. 

They will be leaving our shores soon.

I'm in Norfolk at the moment and so can't get down there over the next few days. However, I will be checking them out again when I return......Storm Gareth permitting!