Short-eared Owl, Asio flammeus
Short-eared Owls forage in daylight more than most other owls, especially in the dawn and
dusk hours. They share habitat with Northern Harriers, which they resemble in flight style and
to some degree appearance; both species fly low over fields and marshes hunting for small
mammals. This male was foraging over the high sage desert of Sierra Valley with a companion
owl and two Northern Harriers in early evening during July 2011, and while perched on
a roadside fencepost he allowed me to approach close enough in my car to take this picture,
my first of this species.