Bird ID (Short eared owl breeding in Ireland?)

firkin

(birding noob here. please excuse mistakes)

I think there is a breeding Short-eared owl near me.

For the past few nights there are fledged chicks begging from the parent.
They sound like a squeaky rubber duck toy!

I got quite close the other night and through the binoculars with a torch I got a decent look at the parent.
It was dappled bit like a hen pheasant.
I could see a little tuft on its head when it looked side ways. I thought it was just feathers out of place.
Only after did I discover it was probably the short ears!
What really struck me was the white 'eyebrows' and matching white thin 'beard'.

It had orange/yellow eyes. It had a 'comma' on the underside of its wings.
All this leads me to think its a Short-eared owl.. but it has chicks.
From what I can see a Short-eared owl breeding in Ireland would be rare?

I got some poor quality photos hopeful enough detail to ID them
I have some good audio I'll post (if I can find a hosting site that doesn't have any registration hassle)
UPDATE: Audio https://clyp.it/rohtosk0

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

The Short Eared Owl is a rare breeder in Ireland and even then only in upland areas. Where are you and what makes you think it's a Short Eared Owl?

More likely a Long Earred Owl.

firkin

Jase Square Rodeo wrote: »

Where are you and what makes you think it's a Short Eared Owl

The little tufts I saw. The lack of any long ears. The white eyebrows and beard.
I'm in Kilkenny.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Were they in trees or on the ground? The 'ear' on the long eared is not that long when at rest.

firkin

Jase Square Rodeo wrote: »

Were they in trees or on the ground? The 'ear' on the long eared is not that long when at rest.

The night I photoed it in trees. The night before the chicks were in trees but the parent was on a fence post.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

firkin wrote: »

The night I photoed it in trees. The night before the chicks were in trees but the parent was on a fence post.

Short eared owls roost and settle almost exclusively on the ground.

Try and post a pic.

Sorry, I see you have posted pictures since.

It's very hard to make anything out but it does look like a short eared in those shots.

They have never been record nesting in Kilkenny or even as Winter visitors there.

It's still highly unlikely.

firkin

Here is the audio. Its edited a little (removed silences).
The first half is the chick. This goes on all night (well for as long as I satyed up)
The ending has the parent (I presume) giving a warning tuck-tuck when I go too close.

https://clyp.it/rohtosk0

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Not like any short eared I've heard.

Here are some of their sounds in various situations.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Short-eared_Owl/sounds

firkin

Jase Square Rodeo wrote: »

Not like any short eared I've heard.

Here are some of their sounds in various situations.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Short-eared_Owl/sounds

Wow, the "Fledgling begging call" call there is nothing like mine.

Re the audio I think you might be spot on on the Long-eared owl:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Long-eared_Owl/sounds

Its a possibility, but I guess extremely unlikely, that there were two different species of owl around the same couple of trees at the same time, while a fool with a bright LED torch tried to photograph them.

Its just the photo and my recollection of the bird didn't suggest Long-eared.
I was shining a torch right at it for 3-4 or 5 mins?
I would have expected it to pop up those ears out of curiosity.
But I did see a small tuft before I even knew owls had ears, never mind long or short ones.
It looked a little odd, like a feather or two out of place on an otherwise well preened bird.
And its face was heart-shaped like a barn owl. (thats what I thought it was initially)
(Don't Log-eared had a longer face?)

But the begging fledgling call definitely isn't Small-eared (or at least not like the link you posted)
Highly unlikely to be breeding small-eared
So I guess it must be a Long-eared?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

I'll stake my next months pension on it being Long Eared Owl.

firkin

I'm still a bit iffy. Sound says Long-eared but visual is tripping me up

All the photos on here have the ears clearly on display while perched.
I'm really surprised my one didn't bother showing it's long ears at all.

Another tid-bit I remember. It had a small mouse in its mouth and it gulped it down in front of me.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

The ear tufts are only raised in alarm. I have stood watching them watching me many times without the tufts rising.

firkin

Here's a bit more info.
The previous night, I went out to try to get close I shone the torch on the fledged checks in a tree.
After a couple of mins out of no where the parent swooped in over me trying to investigate.
I shone the torch right at it 'in my defense' and to get a good look and that kept it away.
It came around again a second time and once more as it got close the torch stopped it getting too close. I presume it couldn't see me behind the torch and was wondering what the bright light was. Was getting close to investigate.

I was buzzing with adreniline. I didn't catch much detail of what it looked like. Except it was silent. Didn't have a camera either.
One thing I did remember was it looked mostly white. It was above me. Thats what made me think it was a barn owl.
Until I got close the second night and saw it was mottled and not white at all!

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Can I suggest you don't keep shining torches on them or disturbing the juvenile birds. It's not a good idea and could construe interference with a protected species?

firkin

Jase Square Rodeo wrote: »

Can I suggest you don't keep shining torches on them or disturbing the juvenile birds. It's not a good idea and could construe interference with a protected species?

Of course you can.
I didn't mean any harm and I did feel uncomfortable doing it.
To clarify I was about 15 - 20 meters way from the chicks.
And shone it on them for about 5mins on and off.

Same the second night. Chicks actulay moved away on second night and adult appeared.

I was quite aware I was intruding and kept the episode to the minimum.
I'd hate to scare them away.
Are they a protected species? What does that even mean? (Obviously no hunting.)

firkin

This looks a lot like mine especially the white eyebrows/beard and round face


And its a Short-eared !?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

firkin wrote: »

Of course you can.
I didn't mean any harm and I did feel uncomfortable doing it.
To clarify I was about 15 - 20 meters way from the chicks.
And shone it on them for about 5mins on and off.

Same the second night. Chicks actulay moved away on second night and adult appeared.

I was quite aware I was intruding and kept the episode to the minimum.
I'd hate to scare them away.
Are they a protected species? What does that even mean? (Obviously no hunting.)

All breeding birds are protected by statute from interference at breeding time.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

firkin wrote: »

This looks a lot like mine especially the white eyebrows/beard and round face


And its a Short-eared !?

Look, you seem determined that it's a short eared owl but everything is wrong for it to be so. They do not frequent Kilkenny at any time, let alone breed there. Breeding in Ireland is restricted to upland areas and is rare and spasmodic. The call is wrong. Their being in trees is wrong. Not seeing the raised ear tufts is not diagnostic. Long Eared owls have white eyebrows too. The eye colour is of no value as you had a torch shining on them.

If you want to contact the local branch of Birdwatch Ireland they would be only too glad to check it out if they thought there were breeding short eared owls in the area. NPWS officers would also be interested. Contact details for both are readily available on line.

firkin

Jase Square Rodeo wrote: »

Look, you seem determined that it's a short eared owl but everything is wrong for it to be so. They do not frequent Kilkenny at any time, let alone breed there. Breeding in Ireland is restricted to upland areas and is rare and spasmodic. The call is wrong. Their being in trees is wrong. Not seeing the raised ear tufts is not diagnostic. Long Eared owls have white eyebrows too. The eye colour is of no value as you had a torch shining on them.

If you want to contact the local branch of Birdwatch Ireland they would be only too glad to check it out if they thought there were breeding short eared owls in the area. NPWS officers would also be interested. Contact details for both are readily available on line.

Jaysus, sorry for upsetting you.
I appreciate your info. I don't have a clue. I'm just throwing ideas out there.
All the photos I've seen of long eared owls look nothing like the one I saw.
Thats all. If you say the photo is a long-eared owl, then fine.
You did say it looked like short-eared owl earlier.

About the torch thing maybe some more clarification might cut me some slack. The squeaking was in my garden. Quite loud. The first night I was just investigating what was making the racket. I saw the fledglings then the next thing the parent came in. And I left them. I was buzzing. First owl I ever saw and it flew over me.

I decided to go out one more time to try to ID the owl thats all.
Didn't mean to hurt them.


By the way the I think the eye color might be relevant. The torch was a daylight white torch. Kind of a blue white. No orange/yellow in it at all.
From a distance the eyes glowed white. But when I got to the closest point to the adult I was surprised to see a vivid yellow/orange.

Again thanks for the info. I do appreciate it.

Eddie B

Jase Square Rodeo wrote: »

They do not frequent Kilkenny at any time, let alone breed there. Breeding in Ireland is restricted to upland areas and is rare and spasmodic.

Jase Square Rodeo, a question for you. Do short eared owls behave differently in winter, than they do during the breeding season? You say they are restricted to upland area's. The reason why I ask is that the couple I have seen were on bogland. (Winter migrants)

I know very little about short eared owls, and just assumed (from my sightings), that bogland was
the sort of habitat, that they frequent.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Eddie B wrote: »

Srameen, a question for you. Do short eared owls behave differently in winter, than they do during the breeding season? You say they are restricted to upland area's. The reason why I ask is that the couple I have seen were on bogland. (Winter migrants)

I know very little about short eared owls, and just assumed (from my sightings), that bogland was
the sort of habitat, that they frequent.

My reference to upland areas was with respect to breeding. In winter they are generally near the coast.

whyulittle

Spotted one at Boora once, but just the once (November).

Eddie B

Jase Square Rodeo wrote: »

My reference to upland areas was with respect to breeding. In winter they are generally near the coast.

Would that make my sightings fairly rare? Saw two short ears on a bog in the midlands for a couple of years in sucession. This was maybe 20 odd years ago. (I know, a long time ago) Then my only other sighting was about four years ago. I saw a single bird on the very same bog. Was this just a coincidence do you think?

Eddie B

whyulittle wrote: »

Spotted one at Boora once, but just the once (November).

A sorry, didn't see your post. Not so rare to see one in the midlands so, but probably still a lucky find.

Fakediamond

I think long eared too, I hear them around my way a lot but have never been lucky enough to to see them.

I did have a juvenile Willow Warbler on my clothes line today, that was a first!

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Eddie B wrote: »

Would that make my sightings fairly rare? Saw two short ears on a bog in the midlands for a couple of years in sucession. This was maybe 20 odd years ago. (I know, a long time ago) Then my only other sighting was about four years ago. I saw a single bird on the very same bog. Was this just a coincidence do you think?

Not rare but certainly uncommon.

firkin

Not sure if its just my browser but the embedded photos in the first post have gone AWOL!?

Here are URLs for anyone interested

https://s32.postimg.org/6l104vp11/front1.jpg
https://s31.postimg.org/j7gt19q7v/front2.jpg
https://s32.postimg.org/a626cbg39/front3.jpg

https://s32.postimg.org/yr8c7hx5h/side1.jpg
https://s31.postimg.org/53fvvkphn/side2.jpg

gzoladz

Long Ear to me... If you look carefully you can see the ears, darker than the head.