14
February 2019
A group
of up to seven short-eared owls has taken up residence on Aberdeenshire's
Forvie National Nature Reserve.
Ron
Macdonald, a former Scottish Natural Heritage manager, has been fascinated by
the birds' antics since their arrival last October.
He and
other wildlife-watchers and photographers, including Darren Dawson, have taken
dozens of photographs of the owls as hunt for prey and interact.
Mr
Macdonald said: "Short-eared owls are a dream to photograph.
"Because
they fly in daylight, often slowly and perch on posts, they make fantastic
portraits.
"They
can be tricky to photograph when flying against the background of heath and
dunes but with some basic field craft and photo skills, you will soon get the
hang of it."
He added:
"They also become more comfortable with people over the winter, becoming
familiar with the visitors hoping to capture their good looks and interesting
behaviour."
The
nature reserve near Ellon is managed by SNH.
From 1970
to 2010, short-eared owls disappeared from almost half of its former UK
breeding range, according to the British Trust for Ornithology.
The
current UK population is estimated to be between 610 and 1,240 pairs and is a
rare breeding bird.
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