Date: 10/24/24 7:57 pm From: Nicholas Earnhart via groups.io <naearnhart...> Subject: [OrangeCountyBirding] Probable Short Eared Owl Upper Newport Bay 10/23/24
Birders,
Sorry for the late notice. Last night at 8:02 pm I had a probable SHORT EARED OWL flyover me at upper newport bay near Muth interperative center. I saw clear diagnostics of a SEOW: pale underwings with a black "comma mark", smaller in size than GHOW and evidently not a barn owl based on coloration. Additionally I heard this bird vocalize after getting dive bombed by a GHOW. This encounter set of a chorus of Ridgway's Rails and other birds. I was unable to relocate after 20 minutes of searching. I briefly stopped by Muth this afternoon in an attempt to relocate with no luck. I tried to get audio but had no success and was unable to get cell phone pics in the dark. I held off on reporting this bird until I could get home and make some sense of what I saw. After concluding that my initial instinct in the field was correct I emailed on of our reviewers just to let him know what I was working with. I ran into several birders while there this evening and no one had anything. I am dubious to confirm this as one, as I have zero evidence, but I would strongly suggest birding that area just in case. Let me know if you have any questions.
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Good Birding,
Nicholas Earnhart
Costa Mesa, CA
<naearnhart...>
