Short-eared Owl
I managed to see three different species of owl on my bike ride this morning, but Short-eared was not one of them. I took this one from the car on Mull in the morning sunshine. You can see that the pupil in the shade is dilated compared to the eye in the sun. You can also see the short ear tufts that give rise to its name, though of course these are just feather tufts. The real ears are located asymmetrically either side of the facial disc. According to the BTO there were only 620 breeding pairs in Britain (2007-2011), though the breeding population varies massively in synch with the Field Vole cycle.
Short-eared Owl
I managed to see three different species of owl on my bike ride this morning, but Short-eared was not one of them. I took this one from the car on Mull in the morning sunshine. You can see that the pupil in the shade is dilated compared to the eye in the sun. You can also see the short ear tufts that give rise to its name, though of course these are just feather tufts. The real ears are located asymmetrically either side of the facial disc. According to the BTO there were only 620 breeding pairs in Britain (2007-2011), though the breeding population varies massively in synch with the Field Vole cycle.