Short-eared Owls

Photos and Text by Isaac Lang

After arriving in America, one of the birds that I desperately wanted to see again was the Short-eared Owl. The only time that I was able to lock eyes on one was when my dad and I saw a pair of them fly between two patches of forest in Steigerwald, and I was much too stunned to even lift up my camera, let alone take a picture. Since joining a youth bird photography group here in Camas/ Vancouver, we have been on multiple excursions, and when we decided to visit Shillapoo Lake for a great opportunity to spot and photograph Short-eared Owls, I couldn’t have been more psyched.

After meeting up with my VAS-sponsored bird group – Cameraderie – we headed into the wetlands where a great many photographers were already tripping over themselves to photograph these elegant and eye-catching creatures. Within two minutes I had spotted more than a few of them skimming over the plains with their butterfly-like movement. Slowly I became accustomed to the owls flying all around us and even though our group was quite large, the owls seemed unbothered and allowed us to take lots of photos. Shillapoo Lake reminds me a lot of Shalun back home, where Short-eared Owls could be seen in spring and fall migration.

With the trees in prime fall foliage, I hoped that one of these owls would be able to fly low enough to get the gorgeous fall colors in the background, but my prayers weren’t answered. Despite the owls coming quite close, none of my pictures turned out very well. Perhaps it was my inexperience of photographing in low-light conditions or me being too focused on observing the Short-eared Owls through my binoculars, but it was still a fantastic experience. As the sun gradually melted back into the mountains and out of sight, I knew I had to come back and give photographing these mesmerizing owls another go. Although I didn’t get any good pictures, I got plenty of excellent long and uninterrupted views of these owls as they hunted at dusk. The Short-eared Owls would fly in large circles and upon hearing rustling in the grass or spotting the occasional exposed rodent or other food item, they flew closer to the marshes, their powerful wingbeats cutting through the grass until they had locked onto the prey. With a swift and debonair twist of the wings, they would plummet and disappear into the reeds. These owls blend in quite well with the grasslands and marshes they frequent and call home, with brownish stripes dripping down their chest to their underbelly, and a prominent facial disc with cat-like whisker shapes on the auriculars. The most striking feature on the Short-eared Owls are without a doubt the dense LED-bright yellow eyes that could pierce through stone. 

Because I wanted another shot at photographing the Short-eared Owls, I decided that I would go back to Shillapoo and try my luck again this Saturday. As I pulled up to the wetland with my dad in the passenger seat, I was surprised by just how many people were there (most of them hunters). Sure enough, gunshots rang out just as we stepped into the wetland, a foreboding and disconcerting sound. We had arrived at the wetland a little later than we had originally hoped, and because it was quite a cloudy day, sunlight was fading fast. I knew we didn’t have much time left. Luckily, my dad spotted a Short-eared Owl sitting in the fresh-cut grass, so I took advantage of the opportunity and slowly crept up towards it, using the reeds as cover. Once I got into position, all I had to do was wait for the circling Northern Harrier – the Short-eared Owl’s sworn enemy – to provoke the owl into flight, hopefully in my direction. My patience paid off, as the owl went into flight, but unfortunately in the complete opposite direction! However, I noticed the owl was flying in a large arc, and predicted it would start heading back towards me very soon. I planted my feet and slowly lifted my camera towards the incoming raptor, waiting for it to get closer. As it came into range, I started rapidly pressing on the shutter, hoping for the best, but after a few seconds it dropped down into the bush, disappearing from sight. I looked through my pictures, crossing my fingers that at least one of the pictures would turn out as I had hoped. Then, my dad hollered for my attention and pointed above me urgently. There right in front of me, two Short-eared Owls were fighting in the sky, each periodically letting out a barking screech. This time I didn’t hesitate, and I immediately started snapping photo after photo, not wanting to miss a single beat. The two owls soon separated, and one of them flew extremely close by, but as I put my eye up to the viewfinder, it was blanketed with fog, and I couldn’t see a thing! Without my viewfinder, I looked quickly at my screen to make sure the focus point was roughly near the owl and just started snapping pictures, wishing for the best. After the owls dropped to the ground and out of sight, I looked in my viewfinder and was shocked to find that I had taken some excellent pictures. 

These were hands-down the best owl pictures that I have ever captured, and I will definitely be going back to Shillapoo for more.