Short-eared owl, Hibou des marais (Asio flammeus)Hokkaido, Japan North island, January/February 2019.

Short-eared owl, Hibou des marais (Asio flammeus)Hokkaido, Japan North island, January/February 2019.
Let’s immediately start with the public admission that this beautiful night hunter was shot from a commercial and perfectly setup lookout (perfect from the photographic point of view, more rustic from the comfort point of view; But what do you expect when you come and visit to spend two full nights patiently waiting for this…
Ezo, the ancient name of the Hokkaido Island, has been kept locally to describe the Ural owl that is somewhat common in the North of the eurasian continent. Ural owl (Ezo owl), Chouette de l’Oural ou chouette d’Ezo (Strix uralensis)Hokkaido, Japan North island, January/February 2019.
A shy bird. Long distances. Somewhat insufficient light. A couple of nice shots. Snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus), Harfang des neiges.Wrangel Island, Russia.August 2018.
Western Barn Owl (Tyto alba, Chouette effraie des clochers) Santa Lucia / iSimangaliso park, South Africa, August 2015.