Spring Short-eared Owls. 2/24/2024.

I couldn't resist one more visit to Cumberland Farms IBA with Melinda P. to see the Short-eared Owls before they started their trek back up to the Arctic area to breed. It has certainly been a boom year for these owls (but a total bust for Snowy Owls with only 1-2 reported in New England)! Melinda and I got there around 2:30 and hiked in to the middle of the fields which is about a mile walk in through lots of mud and bog. There were already two photographers there as the owls have started hunting in the early afternoon of late, rather than at dusk. Very unusual. One beautiful owl was already teed up on a bramble bush, and we got some great looks and shots- remember to always observe first and photograph second. A bit later, four other owls flew out of their roosting spots even though no one was really around them. The highlight, for me at least, was a distant observation of an altercation between a Northern Harrier and a Short Eared Owl that had just caught a big, fat vole for a late lunch. Unfortunately, the Harrier came away the victor after it stuck its little foot in and grabbed the vole.