Hunters at clay shoot.

pullandbang

For the past couple of weeks there has been two superb hunters plying their trade in Ashbourne Shooting Grounds. Each evening about two hours before dusk they appear over the long grass out beyond the traps and hunt rats and mice.

Apparently these are Short-eared Owls, so named after the very small tufts on their crown (most times impossible to see). They are a species that tends to hunt before darkness but are usually a winter visitor. These birds will move north to their breeding grounds in Scotland, Iceland and northern Europe shortly so we may only have them with us for another week or so.

Info and pic is courtesy of Eric Dempsey www.birdsireland.com

flanum

Lovely visitors! Have you given them nicknames yet?

Half-cocked

The referees shelters make great hides to watch them from. One has a darker face than the other so they can be told apart.

spideog7

EDIT: Nope they were long eared owls I think... well I knew at the time !!

Saw a pair of these one night when I was out shooting in a wood. They scared they crap outta me first, swooping right in over my head, I knew they were owls but I didn't realise what type until I read up on it after that. I noticed one of them flying around the wood "clapping" his wings together, while the other one sat in the tree just above me, it was most bizarre I thought, but apparently it's the courting display of the male, to clap his wings together mid-flight. So that's how I figured they were short eared owls. Their call is also pretty unusual, it's a kind of buzzing noise !!

lordarpad

very cool. Thanks for sharing!