Serendipity
Serendipity is when you unexpectedly stumble across something good. And that is what happened yesterday when I was out walking on the moors with a friend and a Short-eared Owl popped up in front of us. Short-eared Owls usually breed on the Peak District Moors so I often see them in summer but they are pretty thin on the ground in winter. Most Short-eared Owls leave the higher ground to spend the winter in lowlands, especially around estuarine saltmarshes. Though the BTO Bird Atlas says that birds in the Uists, Orkneys and the Pennines appear to winter close to their breeding grounds, yet I rarely see them in winter. There was a bit of snow on the ground yesterday but not enough to hamper its hunting. We watched it for about five minutes, and it did appear to catch and eat something, then it slowly headed south and out of sight. I did manage some closer shots but I quite liked this one showing the winter moorland habitat.
Serendipity
Serendipity is when you unexpectedly stumble across something good. And that is what happened yesterday when I was out walking on the moors with a friend and a Short-eared Owl popped up in front of us. Short-eared Owls usually breed on the Peak District Moors so I often see them in summer but they are pretty thin on the ground in winter. Most Short-eared Owls leave the higher ground to spend the winter in lowlands, especially around estuarine saltmarshes. Though the BTO Bird Atlas says that birds in the Uists, Orkneys and the Pennines appear to winter close to their breeding grounds, yet I rarely see them in winter. There was a bit of snow on the ground yesterday but not enough to hamper its hunting. We watched it for about five minutes, and it did appear to catch and eat something, then it slowly headed south and out of sight. I did manage some closer shots but I quite liked this one showing the winter moorland habitat.