More Short-eared Owls - 14 Feb 2025


With snow forecasted for tonight and the next several days I decided to make a late afternoon run down to the Antenna Farm to look for Short-eared Owls. With only 2" of snow on the ground they may be motivated to forage before it becomes even more difficult. 

I stopped by Pt. Mouillee HQ to check for ducks as it was only 3:30 pm and still(?) early for owls. Three Gadwall were swimming in the only open water next to the canal on Campau Rd. Though they flushed from the water as I pulled up they only flew to the snow-covered ice next to shore so I was able to get a few pics.









The middle portion of the Huron River was finally open so small rafts of scaup, Redhead, Canvasback and Common Goldeneye were concentrated together (but too far for photos).

Pte. Mouillee SGA--HQ (Wayne County), Wayne, Michigan, US
Feb 14, 2025 3:40 PM - 3:55 PM
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Cloudy, cold, 20F. Snow forecasted tonite. 2” on ground. Calm. Huron River and creeks mostly frozen.
7 species (+1 other taxa)

Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)  22
Gadwall (Mareca strepera)  3
Canvasback (Aythya valisineria)  24
Redhead (Aythya americana)  24
Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis)  120
Greater/Lesser Scaup (Aythya marila/affinis)  100
Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula)  18
Common Merganser (Mergus merganser)  12

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S213306950

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

I turned down Haggerman Road and drove west toward the antenna farm just after 4 pm and spotted a Northern Harrier flush from the ditch on my right but fly across the road to the field to the south. 






A second Northern Harrier was then seen drifting across the field inside the fence line. A third harrier, a gray ghost male then flushed from the field at the west end of Haggerman Road followed by another (4th) female Northern Harrier inside the fence and drifting toward harrier number two.

As other photographers started pulling up around 4:30 pm I saw the first of six Short-eared Owls appear inside the fence line and immediately got out of the car. One bird landed on the fence 50 yds to the east, while a second landed on the fence another 50 yds to the west. I would spend the next 40 minutes walking up and down Haggerman Road always chasing owls flying in the opposite directions. I still did ok w/ the camera.



































The Short-eared Owls had no problems finding plenty of voles this afternoon. Almost every dive into the brush yielded a score. Poor mice...














One of the Northern Harriers inside the fence went after one of the owls that had just caught a vole. Though I was a good 50 yds away I managed to capture some of their fight. The owl managed to keep its prize.















I was happy to finally see some perched birds, though they were far away. 



















With waning light and frozen toes I headed back to the car and headed home shortly after 5 pm. 

Antenna Farm, Monroe, Michigan, US
Feb 14, 2025 4:17 PM - 5:12 PM
Protocol: Traveling
1.125 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Cloudy, cold, 20F. Calm. 2” snow on ground.
7 species

Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius)  4     3 female/juv and 1 male gray ghost
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)  1
Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus)  6     Pics. Continuing
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)  1     Female. Small falcon w heavy streaks flying across field east of fence. Pics
Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris)  6
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)  12
Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis)  8

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S213322583

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