Short-eared owl seen

• Prakash Gururajan spots and photographs a rare short-eared owl in Pachapalayam grasslands on the outskirts of Coimbatore
   
  Mottled Wood Owl
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  A RARE WINTER VISITOR FROM EUROPE: The Short-eared Owl. Photo: Prakash. G

A rare winter visitor has caught the attention of birders in the city. It has a distinct pair of short ears and goes by the name Short-Eared Owl. Birder Prakash Gururajan spotted it on February 26 at Pachapalayam dry grasslands on Siruvani Road. “After that, I have made multiple trips to the grasslands along with the members of Coimbatore Nature Society to see the bird,” he says.

It’s a winter passage migrant and is likely spend a short time here till the food supply dries out.

“The short-eared owl hunts for the prey in the day time unlike the nocturnal ones. The body colours serve as a camouflage on the grasslands,” he says.

Prakash had spotted small birds like larks and pipits perched on the ground and in good numbers at the grasslands.

He returned there to see if he could spot some other elusive ones such as the Oriental skylark.

“In February, I spotted the ashy Pallid Harrier taking off from the ground. I trekked further down looking for a Pallid Harrier or a Montagu Harrier when I spotted a raptor like bird flying low at 150 meters distance from me and landed. I stopped at about 50 metres to ensure that the bird is not disturbed and photographed it through the grass. It was the short-eared owl. It stayed there till the crows and drongos chased it away,” he says. They are competitors for the same prey.

The birder says the CNS team has also spotted the Mottled Wood Owl, at Mathipalayam on Siruvani Road. “We have made frequent trips to record and study the habitat of these birds. I also spotted the Indian Pita, Malabar Whistling Thrush and Niligirs Laughing Thrush near the Paambu Sitthar caves at Marudhamalai.”

Prakash reinforces the need to protect the habitat. He says, “If the dry grassland is left undisturbed, these species will thrive in good numbers and help the ecosystem too.”