Long-eared Owl - 1994
Thursday, December 22, 2011 at 5:53PM Irregular visitor, formerly bred
Mathew (1894) regarded the Long-eared Owl as a scarce winter visitor and reported that "bird-stuffers" received a few occasionally. Lockley et al. (1949) said it was a scarce resident and noted breeding near Granant, at Solva, near St Dogmael's and at Dowrog; the last breeding record was in 1935.
They have been recorded in 17 years since, mostly between January and March but also in May, July, October and November on the offshore islands, where nearly half the total has occurred.
No evidence exists to indicate their origin but it is tempting to think of Ireland as a likely source. Considering how inconspicuous they are it is conceivable that dispersing juveniles reach Pembrokeshire in most years and stay the winter; for example, there were roosts of three at Colby Moor in 1991 and at Rhodiad y Brenin in 1993.
Reader Comments