Every Autumn Kent receives visitors from the north, and one of the most spectacular is the Short-eared Owl. Here at St Margaret's they tend to be just short term tourists as there isn't a great deal of their favoured habitat to hold them. A couple times I have watched one coming in, over the sea, escorted by disapproving Gulls. They move on to areas like Worth Marsh and Sheppey where there is a lot of rougher grazing that holds the small mammals they need. The main food here is the Short-tailed Vole, hence the country name of the Mouse Owl. Although they will hunt at night they are most active just before and after dawn and dusk, (crepuscular). and least active around noon and midnight. In Scandinavia the Lemming forms a large part o0f their diet and, like many small mammals, lemming populations fluctuate cyclically. Hence the numbers arriving here probably is dependant on two things. Did the Owls have a good breeding season. because there were lots of Lemmings, and of course is food short at the beginning of winter. If you are really lucky, especially on a fine calm day following a wet and windy one, they hunt while the light is still good enough to get a few pictures.
