Long-eared Owl

A brief update on the Facebook issue: the photographer responsible for the posting has now deleted the post and all the angry, accusing comments left by people who changed the subject from road safety to people going out to photograph owls far too often, taking too many photos, etc., etc.. Thank goodness, I can now try and forget the whole thing, though it really doesn't make me look forward to going anywhere to take photos.

The Long-eared Owl is nocturnal and roosts in trees during the daytime, which is exactly where this one was when I first saw it. However, as you can see, it was still active in broad daylight. Though these owls are secretive, this one was so easy to find because of the huge crowd of photographers that, unfortunately, was already there.

When I left home that afternoon, I actually had no idea at all where people were seeing this beautiful owl - I was on my way to see the Short-eared Owls. I had stopped very briefly to watch a large bird flying far away in the distance and had asked someone who was photographing it if it was a Short-eared Owl, as I wasn't even sure if it was an owl. He said yes, and that the Long-eared Owl was just down the road. Imagine my surprise, which quickly turned to horror when I saw dozens of photographers gathered there.

"The Long-eared Owl has erect blackish ear-tufts, which are positioned in the centre of the head. The ear-tufts are used to make the owl appear larger to other owls while perched. The female is larger in size and darker in colouration than the male." From Wikipedia.

I took maybe 25 or so photos of this Long-eared Owl - not thousands like everyone else there, especially those who were apparently there all day long! I have already posted several images, and now have just a few odds and ends that I want to add to my album.