A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE - SHORT EARED OWLS

  Two Short Eared Owls were seen on the golf courses today. They seemed to spend most of the afternoon hunting along the 2nd, 3rd and 4th on the Medal course, together with the area around the burn on the Broomfield course. Although there have been a few sightings over the last week or so its the first time that I have seen Short Eared Owls for a number of years.

 The Short Eared Owl is one of the few species of Owl that can commonly be seen flying during daylight hours.
  I managed to get a few photos of one of the owls when it landed close to the 4th Medal hole. It is quite a large bird, only slightly smaller than a Common Buzzard.

 In Scotland, numbers are not high with the majority breeding on higher ground and moorland although lowland rough grassland and coastal dunes are also used. 

 In winter the upland birds often leave and move to the east coast dunes and grasslands, with some of these coastal birds also originating in Scandinavia.

  If you are out on the links over the next few days keep a look out for these great looking birds as there is no guarantee that they will stay in the area for long.

Les Rae,

First Assistant,

Montrose Golf Links Limited.