Short eared at dawn?

[Stevio125]

Hi all

I was wondering what if any experiance you all had with seo's at dawn.
The owls that have returned to us this year are coming out at gone 4 o'clock by which time even on a clear night there isnt enough light for flight shots if any at all.
Hopefully given some coolder weather they may be forced to come out earlier, but by the looks of what is being shot at the moment these owls are quite late in the day.
I was thinking that they may be hunting more in the mornings at dawn if they are not so active at dusk.
Any thoughts

Cheers Steve

[MetalMoth]

I was at Wicken Fen a couple of days ago to see their SEO and they had started flying by 2.30pm. So there was plenty of light for flight shots. I have also seen lots of other nice flight shots on the internet. I do not know if they fly much at dawn but certainly the ones I have been viewing have been very active around dusk.

[clairey1]

The last time we were out watching these, we got there about 8am ~ no initial sign of the birds but then had excellent views mid morning for an hour, then again by 2 in the afternoon.

Claire

[JeffH]

I've watched the S-eOs at Burwell/Wicken Fen in the mornings and in the afternoons. They've not been as active at dawn as they are in the mid-late afternoon but I've seen several in the air between about 6.45 and 7.30am

Jeff
(Schedule 1 Licence holder for Kingfishers, Barn Owls and Avocets)

[Stevio125]

Thanks for the replies,
feeling seems to be the same with a few other photographers, either hunting is very easy for them or they are hunting more in the morning.
No reports from anybody yet about them hunting during the day, so they must be hunting at some point.
Yesterday I only saw 1 of the 2-3 birds at dusk, again gone 4 o'clock so where are the others?

[tom w w]

They will hunt at any time of day, this was taken mid afternoon.

Short Eared Owl - click to see by Tom W W, on Flickr

Short Eared Owl hovering by Tom W W, on Flickr

[dunlin]

I often see them over the salt marsh at southport and find the best time to see them is at high tide

[KentYeti]

I've never had any luck with SOEs at dawn, although that comment applies only to the two or three in the Capel Fleet area of the Isle of Sheppey in Kent this Spring.

At present they are active from at least mid morning, (not been there earlier this Autumn), and then on and off all day.

i.e today I arrived at circa 11.30 and one was hunting very actively until it caught something large at around 13.00. By large I mean a vole, compared with what I guess were just insects up until then. Then that one and several other started hunting again at circa 14.30.

I'm seeing the same sort of pattern most days I visit.

Cheers,

Bryan

[KentYeti]

Originally Posted by Stevio125

Thanks for the replies,
feeling seems to be the same with a few other photographers, either hunting is very easy for them or they are hunting more in the morning.
No reports from anybody yet about them hunting during the day, so they must be hunting at some point.
Yesterday I only saw 1 of the 2-3 birds at dusk, again gone 4 o'clock so where are the others?

My growing experience, (still not vast amounts though), of these birds is if they catch something like a decent sized vole, ( I assume), they will settle down for up to 2 hours afterwards. Or that is what I think I have been watching for some time this Spring and now again this Autumn. Seen that happen very often. The one that was hunting until 13.00 hrs today was close by in the rough grass munching on something at the end of it's active period, until disturbed. Then it flew off just a short distance and didn't come go back up for an hour and a half.

Cheers,

Bryan