Short-eared Owls by Dave Foker

 

 

It is without doubt a very good winter for Short-eared Owls across Britain, with excellent numbers arriving along the east coast during the autumn and birds now popping up in suitable areas of rough ground all over the country. Along with the likes of Waxwing and Common Kingfisher, Short-eared Owl has always been an extremely popular subject for BirdGuides contributors, with some 4,800 images of the species uploaded to the gallery over the years. Given there are so many owls around at the moment, we're looking forward to that figure swelling considerably as the winter progresses. That said, we're already seeing some terrific shots appearing, including those taken recently at Staines Moor, London, by Dave Foker. Situated close to London Heathrow Airport, the moor offers the chance for some unusual backdrops to owl images – such as this plane taking off, which offers a quirky juxtaposition between nature and man-made technology as the owls hunt in the low autumn sunshine. Congratulations to Dave on his excellent image!

 

Other notable images

 

Great Northern Diver, La Rocque, Jersey (Romano Da Costa).

Bar-tailed Godwit, Myroe Levels, Londonderry (Ian Dickey).

 

Ruddy Turnstone, Hill Head, Hampshire (Peter Honeysett).

Pallid Swift, Winterton-on-Sea, Norfolk (Ian Curran).

Pileated Woodpecker, Paynetown SRA, Monroe (Steve Bell).

Eurasian Nuthatch, Tongwynlais, Glamorgan (Colin Harvey).

Waxwing, Wiveton, Norfolk (Ashley Gowing).

Ring Ouzel, Elan Valley, Powys (Kev Joynes).

Mistle Thrush, Wiveton, Norfolk (Andy Thompson).

Cetti's Warbler, Toledo, Castilla-La Mancha (Neil Hilton).

Whinchat, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (Duha Alhashimi).

Common Crane, Slimbridge WWT, Gloucestershire (Geof Slocombe).

Griffon Vulture, Bolonia, Andalucia (Sam O'Donnell).

Great Cormorant, Stanpit Marsh, Dorset (Scott Usher).