Friends of mine had an encounter with a Short-eared Owl around 6 a.m. this morning near Airport and Mayfield Roads in northeast Brampton. Not surprising. I observed one perched in mid-November in the same general area. Historically this was Short-eared Owl territory. Development has engulfed most of their old hunting grounds, but the odd one still pops up. The area is bordered by Old School Road to the north, Mayfield Road to the south, Dixie Road to the west and Airport Road to the east. The area between Mayfield and Old School is still farmland and can be good for owls and harriers in winter. The construction site south of the Mayfield/Dixie intersection can produce the occasional surprise. That's where I saw a Short-eared Owl this past November. A Snowy Owl stayed on this site all of last winter.
