Went out to look for the Glaucous Gull reported yesterday at the Coffin Butte
dump this afternoon. No gulls were visible from the road on the east side of
the Butte so I drove west toward the backside along Coffin Butte Rd. Just past
the split I saw an owl perched on the fence. At first I thought it was a
Short-eared Owl based on size and habitat (fairly open) but then I saw the very
prominent tufts. I pulled over and got good looks through my binos. I’m
almost positive it was a Long-eared. Orange face with black and white stripes,
checkered belly. Got some crappy photos that don’t show much except the tufts
and the relative size which is much too small for Great-Horned. I will post
later on e-bird when I get a chance.
What made it even more weird was the fact that every few minutes a large dump
truck carrying rock would come rumbling past less than thirty feet away from
where this bird was perched. After 5 minutes of observation it dropped into
the tall grass below the fence. I was hoping it had heard the sound of a
rodent rustling in the grass and dropped down for a meal and then would fly
back up to the fence to eat it, but it stayed out of sight.
My only hesitation with this call is how unusual this situation appears to be.
I always thought of Long-eared Owls as being strictly nocturnal and never out
in the open. There was a few trees and shrubs nearby but otherwise very open.
Any thoughts?
Sent from my iPhone
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