BC Fairgrounds 1/28--Short-eared Owl, American Kestrel

The big blob is a Short-eared Owl

In yet another proof of Zirlin's 2nd Law of Birding (You will not see the bird until you sincerely give up)...

I arrived at the Burlington County Fairgrounds at 4 PM. Sunset today was 5:11, but I wanted to give myself a little leeway. My mission was to get a Short-eared Owl. They don't come out until just before, or just after sunset. If they come out. I thought it might be a bit too windy for them to hunt, but seeing a couple of  Northern Harriers encouraged me. Harriers punch out at dusk and the shorties take the night shift.

My biggest worry was getting locked in. It isn't clear when the rangers lock the gates and while they're supposed to sweep the area before they do, suppose they don't? Standing there all alone was making me a little nervous.

American Kestrel

In the meantime, I had raptors to entertain me. Aside from the harriers, I had a Red-tailed Hawk, two Bald Eagles (on nest) and an American Kestrel. I've driven miles back & forth on Colliers Mills Road this month looking for a kestrel (everyone else has seen one), so of course, when I'm not looking for one I find a female perched up on stick. Nice, but not an Ocean County bird.

Just before 5 a couple of other cars pulled in to keep me company. In one was a birder I know (Terry), but the other birder was a stranger to me. He caught sight of the eagles in his little bins and was just hyperventilating about them. To do my good deed for the day, I put them in the scope for him and he just kvelled.  Meanwhile, Terry & I were going "huh huh, huh huh," where's the Short-eared Owls?

The sun set. The harrier was still roosting in a small tree. A 5:12 it was gone, but no owls replaced it. Terry & I waited. It was getting darker. And colder. Much colder than I expected. When do you give up? After all, I did have kestrel as a new year bird.

Finally, Terry & I gave up. We were turning toward our cars when she shouted out she had one. Where? Between the two trees. Lotta trees there. But, as luck would have it, I saw a bird with a moth-like flight just above the silhouetted trees then between the two trees. Then it alighted in the tree to the left where she & I were able to view it in the scope. I hope her photographs came out better than my digiscopes. In my defense, it was so cold I couldn't hold my hand steady of the scope's eyepiece with my phone.

We high fived and she high-tailed out of there. I was working on my list when I saw the park ranger's flashing lights behind me. Time to go. I finished my list in the Wawa parking lot.