[texbirds] Short-Eared Owl Longenbaugh Rd (Harris County)

From: Berner Family <jcazberner@xxxxxxxxx>
To: "texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 5 Dec 2012 19:41:37 -0800 (PST)
Texbirders:
 
Been looking for the species in the county for many winters including the last 
few mornings and evenings in a variety of locations. 
Despite being relatively common in nearby Waller--species hasn't been 
previously reported to ebird in Harris.
 
Saw a Short-eared Owl well tonight at 5:26PM on Longenbaugh Rd ~1.8 miles WEST 
of Katy-Hockley rd. through a scope at 200 yards in reasonable light as it flew 
very slowly with it's bat/moth-like slight-dihedral flight style just above 
ground generally to the E-ENE. Saw owl face, dark barred wing tips,  pale 
underwings and the obvious dark carpal patch on the wings above and below with 
buffy patch between carpal bar and wingtips.  The bird dropped suddenly onto 
potential prey twice but came away empty.  Bird was silent and finally 
disappeared to the ENE.
 
Observation began three minutes after sunset which was 10-15 minutes earlier 
than my previous experiences in Waller County but skies were pretty cloudy 
tonight so it was a bit gloomier.
 
This is not the same piece of Longenbaugh road where we previously reported the 
Ferruginous Hawk.  It is instead a two mile dead-end segment of Longenbaugh 
that goes WEST from Katy Hockley Rd. towards Waller County (not EAST from 
Katy-Hockley Cutoff). I scoped to the North from 5 telephone poles East of the 
western end of Longenbaugh and west of a lit-up house to the North of 
Longenbaugh with a large fenced yard with a pond)
 
This location is 2.5 miles straight east of where Harvey Laas and i had two 
Short-eared Owls on Morrison Rd in Waller County on Monday night from 5:42PM to 
5:50PM (on a clearer day). One of those owls was flying east when we last saw 
it.
 
Tonight's short-eared owl was also 3.5 miles SE of the traditional Waller Co. 
short-eared owl spot on Pattison rd (where Jim Hinson reported the area's first 
owls of the winter last week).
 
Also in the same field tonight were two jack rabbits (uncommon in Harris 
County) and one Northern Harrier which was easily distinguishable from the owl. 
A second Northern Harrier was south of Longenbaugh.
 
Note Longenbaugh dead ends 2 miles West of Katy-Hockley in Harris County with 
no cross streets--Ignore the "phantom" roads to the W&S that Google shows.
 
The Berners
John, Cathy, Abby and Zach
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[texbirds] Short-Eared Owl Longenbaugh Rd (Harris County)

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