Short-eared Owl @ Antenna Farm - 06 Jan 2025

I got a call from Patricia and Moxie yesterday afternoon. They had just come from the Antenna Farm and had 4 Short-eared Owls along Haggerman Road. So I took the opportunity this morning to drive down to see if any might be active before dawn.

It was cloudy and windy (15 mph from NW) and a light sleet was showing on the windshield. At 6:15 am it was very dark so I could only see in front of the car. A couple passes along Haggerman Road next to the Antenna Farm produced no sign of owls, so I made a quick swing to Roberts Road to look for Eastern Screech Owls. I would find 3 owls that came in despite the winds, but I was unable to see them through the thick vegetation / trees lining Roberts Road. They were close, and LOUD! but I could not get a visual despite head lamp and flash on camera.

Pte. Mouillee SGA (permit required Sep 1-Dec 15), Monroe, Michigan, US

Jan 6, 2025 7:00 AM - 7:30 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Cold, windy, 24F, NW 15 mph. light sleet
3 species

Eastern Screech-Owl (Megascops asio)  3
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)  1
American Tree Sparrow (Spizelloides arborea)  1

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S208290093

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)

With light now starting to show I drove back along Haggerman Road even as the windshield wipers were going. As I passed the small entrance to the field just east of the fenceline I spotted a single Short-eared Owl on the gate post. Unfortunately for me it was on the passenger side of the car, so I could only try to photograph it from inside the car out of the passenger side window. It was still very dark, so at ISO 25,600 I could only manage a 1/13 second exposure at 100 mm focal length. Luckily, I managed one semi-sharp frame before it flew off and disappeared into the dark.

Another pass down Haggerman produced a single Northern Harrier. It was perched on the branch that was placed at the extreme SE corner of the fenceline.

Antenna Farm, Monroe, Michigan, US
Jan 6, 2025 7:30 AM - 8:00 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Cloudy, cold, 24F, windy, 15 mph from NW, light sleet
2 species

Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius)  1
Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus)  1     On post just east of fence line along Haggerman. Photo. Four were reported here yesterday.

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S208291028

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)