Short-eared owls are flying again at the Pole Farm

While we have yet to experience the packed-parking-lot frenzy of last winter, short-eared owls are back at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm and starting to show themselves before the sun goes down.

The “shorties” have been in the park for several weeks. Birders have reported seeing them before dawn and after sunset. We’ve been waiting for them to start flying ahead of sunset, and it seems we’re getting to that point.

On Sunday afternoon, I went out to the park about 45 minutes before sunset. I joined about 10 more photographers near the big curve where the paved Lawrence-Hopwell Trail starts its gentle slope up to the woods in the center of the park.

One short-eared owl was sitting at the bottom of a spindly tree on the far side of the field that runs between the trail and Cold Soil Road. Other birders noted that the owl had been perched closer to the trail when they arrived around 3:30. A few of them got a good view and presumably some good photos of it.

Around 4:30, the bird took off to our left, sailing and dipping over the field. Eventually it flew back toward and beyond us. In the dwindling light, I was able to capture the shot topping this post. I can’t recall if the owl was landing or taking off.

Meanwhile, two other short-eared owls appeared over the field behind us. At one point, they were high and almost directly overhead when one of them charged the other.

Word will get around that the owls are back. I reckon more people wearing camouflage jackets and bearing long lenses will start showing up. Here’s hoping they behave themselves and stay on the trails.

Rangers are patrolling, and one showed up about 4:45 Sunday evening. A few of us photographers were nearly back to our cars when the ranger started rolling up the trail, telling people the park was closing.

If you’re hoping to see the owls yourself, please know that these magnificent wild creatures have their own schedules that may or may not correspond to yours. Hope you get lucky and come on a day when they come out. And dress for a cold wait.