owl flight Characteristics??

[Napper]

A couple of nights ago I spotted an odd flight characteristic of a large broad winged bird " tight circling and swooping "

Just now at 6:30 pm as darkness approached  a similar bird or Owl flew over the neighbourhood.

There was just enough light to see that it was quite a whitish under with some browns on the wings. Short tail and no real distinctive head..

It didn't fly in a straight line for more than a few wing beats turning and twisting before it dissapeared over the houses heading toward the fields behind our

houses...


Large wing span, broad wings, short body etc.. I spotted a Long eared owl  two years ago. I don't recall it's  flight being this radical..
 

Many night time rabbits around my yard and in the fields back there..

Napper
 
   :?:

[David Shilman]

Sounds like a Short-eared Owl.  What is your neighbourhood like, habitat-wise?

David

[Napper]

Mature Neighbourhood.  large trees

Open fields 70 feet behind my house,  Creek and Valley(shallow)  500 feet  West.

I know it is not a hawk. Pretty sure it is an owl...never  seen flight like this.. for a  large bird..  swallow like..

Lots of wildlife back there in the fields.  Rabbit in my backyard a few minutes ago..


Thanx   Napper
 


correct time is 10:27 pm

[Kin Lau]

Shorted-Eared Owls are often described as a big butterfly with highly unpredictable flight.

[Anonymous]

The last time I was down on Amherst, as we were heading back to the ferry and just east of town, we saw 3 short-eared owls cross the road in front of us, I pulled over and watched the 3 turn into 12. They seemed to come out of no-where and they put on an amazing show about 40 feet off the road in the field right in front of us. I found their flight patterns to be similar to the northern harrier, hovering and diving but a little more erratic.

[Napper]

Thanx for all the responses..

I will keep an eye out.  I like the butterfly like flight description, it  seems right.

I found this web page below shortly after making my original post.

Interesting and informative..

Napper :lol:

Correct time is 4:46 pm


   http://www.owlpages.com/owls.php?location=North+America