Short-eared Owl - Elton Common

James and Ali encountered this Short-eared Owl this evening between Winster and Pike Hall just as the sun was setting. It's the first Short-eared Owl I am aware of in the area for many months and is probably a bird heading north to the moors having over wintered in the Midlands somewhere. It could hang around if it can find a reasonable hunting area.

Short-eared Owl