ML292643511
Contributor
Date
Location
- Age
- Not specified
- Sex
- Not specified
- Behaviors
- Flying; Foraging or eating
- Playback
- Playback not used
Media notes
One of three Short-eared Owls at the south end of Lake Messalonskee, Belgrade, Kennebec County, Maine. Lance Benner announces field characters.
Observation details
The first was found by Lance at 14:45 while the bird was perched on a snag about 15 feet above the marsh. Hundreds from the boat launch and nearly due east. Glenn Hodgkins found the second owl perched at roughly 16:00, and a few minutes later, Glenn and Anna Hodgkins and Cheryl Ring found a third. We could see two owls perched while simultaneously seeing the third in flight, so there were at least three in the area. Distant photos. The first owl was seen primarily perched from 14:45 until about 16:00; it briefly flew three times while Lance was the only person there. On one occasion it flew while the shirke was diving on it. Brief description of the birds: long wings; buoyant, moth-like flight; brown back and top of wings; nearly white on underside of body and underside of wings; black "wrist" patches visible on underside of wings; conspicuous light buffy patches on distal parts of upper wings. Long-eared owl would have more conspicuous barring on the tail; orange on the facial disk; darker pattern on the front, and significanly less contrast on the upper wing patches (among other things). Distinguished from northern harriers by chunkier body; much larger head; lack of a white rump; significantly greater white underneath, buffy patches on upper wings, black "wrist" patches, and so forth. Still visible when the last of us left at 16:30. Conditions were gloomy with a relatively low overcast and somewhat similar to conditions on Dec. 28 when three short-eared owls were seen at the same location. These birds were *not* seen under clear conditions on Dec. 29.
Technical information
- Camera
- iPhone Xs
- Microphone
- internal
- Accessories
- Original file size
- 147.93 MB