Christmas Day Owls

Christmas Day was very grey in these parts, so it wasn't very promising.  As we drove through Keyingham the mist seemed to become more dense, so we wondered if it was worth continuing at all.  We turned off the main road onto the minor roads.  Every few yards or so we came across a Kestrel.  We probably saw at least 13 or so in all.  There were vast areas were we couldn't see any other wildlife at all, but there were several small groups of Roe Deer scattered about.  

The "Buzzard hedge" was very disappointing for the second day running, and there were dog walkers around, one with 4 dogs, so we think they had flushed the Buzzards.  Things changed when we reached Stone Creek.  We were nearing the bridge when a Short-eared owl flew low over a hedge and landed on the bank of a ditch right next to us.  We were so busy watching this we didn't spot at first a second bird which must have been chasing the other, but it saw us and perched on the opposite side of the bank.  I was able to drive closer to the confiding bird, whose head continued to turn nervously in every direction.  Meanwhile, the second individual seemed fixated on the first bird.  The second bird may have been  female as she appeared darker than the first bird.  After ten minutes the second bird had accustomed herself to our presence and suddenly launchers herself and made a glancing blow on the first bird, which flew away from us and landed one a telegraph post!  The second bird disappeared from sight.  We were probably helped by the lack of cars on Christmas Day.  On any other occasion we wouldn't have been allowed to have had 10 uninterrupted minutes with these two owls without having to move the car, so we were privileged to spend so much time with them.

Bird One: (Male?) Short-eared Owl

Bird Two: (Female?) Short-eared Owl 

 Bird One - notice one eyelid droops slightly

Number 2 

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 Checking out 1

 Getting Closer to 1

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On the way back we checked for yesterday's Little Owl, but without the sun it was a forlorn hope.  However, near Paull we did find a hunting Barn Owl, but it was too distant and dark for photographs.