{"id":31521,"date":"2015-05-22T05:00:43","date_gmt":"2015-05-22T11:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/?p=31521"},"modified":"2015-05-22T05:18:04","modified_gmt":"2015-05-22T11:18:04","slug":"there-really-are-some-short-eared-owls-out-there","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2015\/05\/22\/there-really-are-some-short-eared-owls-out-there\/","title":{"rendered":"There Really Are Some Short-eared Owls Out There!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Short-eared Owls are in serious decline throughout their range and their species status in many states is uncertain. My experience in the field backs that up – where I used to see them regularly I no longer do. Though it’s only anecdotal evidence I’d estimate that my sightings of the species have dropped by something like\u00a075% in the last few years. And I specifically\u00a0look for them in their preferred habitat.<\/p>\n

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\"short-eared\u00a01\/3200, f\/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon<\/em> EF500mm f\/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/p>\n

But yesterday morning I encountered a cluster of them in a relatively remote area of Tooele County. There were at least four owls (and possibly one or two more) perching on fence posts along the road\u00a0and hunting low over marshland in their typical manner. This bird is one of them.<\/p>\n

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\"short-eared<\/p>\n

\u00a01\/1250, f\/6.3, ISO 640, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon<\/em> EF500mm f\/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/p>\n

I was never able to get a good light angle on any of the owls but while I was watching this one through my lens I noticed something slightly odd about its right eye. When I first saw this image on my computer I thought it might simply be the play of light on the bulge of the cornea but…<\/p>\n

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\"short-eared<\/p>\n

a huge crop of the same image suggests to me that part of the lower eyelid may be pulled away from the surface of the eye. Whether or not it’s an anomaly is beyond my diagnostic abilities.\u00a0I just don’t know enough about owl eyes\u00a0to even hazard a guess but it did arouse my curiosity.<\/p>\n

I was delighted almost to the point of giddiness to see this many Short-eared Owls concentrated in a small area. Because of their concern for the species HawkWatch International has recently announced a new citizen science project whose focus is monitoring Short-eared Owls in Utah and they’ve\u00a0asked for input on sightings. Yesterday afternoon I reported this sighting to HWI.<\/p>\n

Hopefully their efforts and those of others will eventually result in a comeback for the species.<\/p>\n

Ron<\/p>\n

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I was delighted almost to the point of giddiness to see this many Short-eared Owls concentrated in a small area.<\/p>\n

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