ChrisShannen2000
Short-eared Owl
Four years ago when I was last in Utah, I found many short-eared owls in the Bear River National Refuge. This year, I didn't find any. This species can be itinerant, so hopefully their absence from Bear River isn't a harbinger of ill fortune. (I might also have simply not crossed paths with the owls while there).
However, I did learn that a few shorties had been spotted in the Golden Spike National Historic Area, which is an expansive preserve of vast nature about 40 miles west of Brigham City.
After a bit of wandering and driving up and down a gravel road just beyond the Visitor Center, I found two of them, one of which stayed perched on this fence post long enough for me to roll up and snap a few frames from my vehicle.
This bird and two others stayed in this area the entire evening and the next morning. I suspect they were comfortable in this territory. Hardly any people and only a few cars driving by.
Short-eared Owl
Four years ago when I was last in Utah, I found many short-eared owls in the Bear River National Refuge. This year, I didn't find any. This species can be itinerant, so hopefully their absence from Bear River isn't a harbinger of ill fortune. (I might also have simply not crossed paths with the owls while there).
However, I did learn that a few shorties had been spotted in the Golden Spike National Historic Area, which is an expansive preserve of vast nature about 40 miles west of Brigham City.
After a bit of wandering and driving up and down a gravel road just beyond the Visitor Center, I found two of them, one of which stayed perched on this fence post long enough for me to roll up and snap a few frames from my vehicle.
This bird and two others stayed in this area the entire evening and the next morning. I suspect they were comfortable in this territory. Hardly any people and only a few cars driving by.