Some observant DC-area birders were fortunate to catch sight of a Short-eared Owl in the DC-northern Virginia urban core late in December and early in January. Sightings were reported from Reagan National Airport, the Washington Sailing Marina, Gravelly Point Park, East Potomac Park, and Hains Point, but it’s a relatively uncommon visitor. In northern Virginia, it’s a winter visitor, but it’s a little more likely you’ll see one in the more rural areas of northern Virginia, such Loudoun and Fauquier Counties, primarily because it’s an open-country hunter, foraging in fields and grasslands. Read more about this species here.
