Bellingham Field Journal: Short-Eared Owl

On February 1st I decided to observe Short-Eared Owls. I had spent all day working on habitat data and I wanted to get out and actually see some birds... not just numbers that describe them. The photos you will see were taken in the failing light of evening. These owls begin hunting in late afternoon and hunt into the night. They prefer marsh land or stubbly fields. Given the dusk conditions, I was happy just to see a Short-Eared Owl. You'll quickly see that my primary concern was not photos, but a chance to see the owl in its natural habitat.

Wetland Reserve near Edison

Marshland with the Anacortes oil refinery in the background

Knowing there was a lot of standing water, I wore waterproof boots.

If this was Europe, this land would be called the Polders. The tidal water is held back by dykes, but it floods after rains and high tides. It is perfect for many wetland birds. I've seen Red-Winged Blackbirds, Killdeer, ducks, Snow Geese, Marsh Wrens, Savanna Sparrows, Ring-Necked Pheasants, Dunlins, Red-Tailed Hawks, Rough-Legged Hawks, Vultures, Bald Eagles, and Northern Harriers. In fact, as I started my walk, I saw the silhouette of a Northern Harrier hunting over the fields.

This reserve is planted intentionally for ground cover and seed for birds.

I followed a drainage channel out toward the dykes. A night chorus of frogs started and increased in intensity. In the distance, I could see a perched Short-Eared Owl.

The so-called 'ears' are really feather tufts. On Great-Horned Owls, the tufts are readily apparent. On this Short-Eared Owl, the small tufts were laid down with the contour of the head and could not be seen. These owls hunt voles and field mice. This bird was looking around, but not yet actively hunting.

Maybe this is a good time to stress the use of general impressions in field identification. Standing in a puddle as dark falls, you can't be thumbing through your Sibley or other bird guide. By the time you find what you are looking for, the bird has flown away. Besides, the color patterns that Peterson, Sibley and other field guides use as indicators are useless when all you can see is a silhouette. If you learn the silhouette and general flight behavior, you can spend your time looking at the bird and verify the identity with a field guide at your leisure.

I made a few notes, below, showing general flight patterns and some unique behaviors of the Short-Eared Owl. I watched as this owl did a short flight from its perch. It did a slow, leisurely loop and came back to the perch. Different authors describe their flight as 'moth-like', 'wobbly', 'loping', and even 'erratic'. During courtship, however, the male will do some spectacular wing-clapping and will climb, to 200 to 300 feet then dive...all to impress his lady-love.

I have never seen the Short-Eared Owl's mock-injury display (shown above). It is used to draw coyotes and other predators away from their nest and nestlings. The nests are on the ground, making the birds vulnerable to ravens, crows, skunks, falcons, Great-Horned Owls, predatory mammals, and farming tractors. A few other birds, such as the Killdeer, have the same broken-wing distraction strategy. These distraction displays are especially important because the fledgling Short-Eared Owls can't fly! When they fledge, they walk away from the nest. They only gain the ability to fly later.