An Owl at the beach

Week 45; 11 November 2017 - JPR

Some days birds are just not co-operative, so it is best to enjoy them without a camera and today was one of those mornings; not many birds about.

On the big pool, we had a few Northern Shoveler

Drake Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata)

Mallard

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)

And a Western Great Egret passing by overhead

Western Great Egret (Ardea alba)

And in the woods, Spanish Sparrow have now arrived for the winter.

Spanish Sparrow (Passer hispaniolensis)

We had too make a slight detour when Dr Aref alerted us to a Short-eared Owl that had been found near the beach. It was quite distant when we first saw it, but then if flew off and we had some great flight views - but I love the one where the head is turned in flight to look at us!

Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus)

This sighting more than made up for the quiet morning and was also Jaden's first Owl for his survey, so he was pretty pleased.