UPDATE: 22 Apr 2019, I wasn’t there but apparently, still Shorties at Burwell Fen.
Short-eared Owls (Asio flammeus) like to spend their winters where it’s slightly warmer than their native lands of Iceland, Scandinavia, and Russia. I say warmer, they migrate to northern, eastern, and parts of central southern England especially around the coast. But, they also seem to have favoured NT Burwell Fen this winter.
Got quite close to the Owl photographed above without spooking it, but there was a group of people up ahead who had an even better view when it landed right in front of them, but they decided to blunder ahead and get even closer than 20 metres for their photos, scaring the bird and ruining everybody else’s chance for a closeup.
There have been sightings of six or so Short-eared Owls over the last few weeks. I have seen at most two at one time there in the last few days, but possibly a third. Other photographers and birders there suggest only two remain. They will only be here for a few more days, maybe weeks, the weather and food source will perhaps dictate how much longer they will stay.
