ASIO OTUS

Long-eared Owl Photography

Long-eared Owls are among the most elusive and challenging of the UK’s owl species to find and photograph. Secretive by nature and largely nocturnal, they can be remarkably difficult to locate even when you know they are present in an area.

They are striking birds when you do get the opportunity to see them well, with their characteristic orange eyes and prominent feather tufts giving them a particularly distinctive appearance. Despite their name, those tufts are not ears at all, but feathers which the birds can raise or flatten depending on their posture and behaviour.

That elusive nature makes every encounter particularly special. Unlike Short-eared Owls, which can provide extended opportunities to watch them hunting during daylight, photographing a Long-eared Owl often comes down to careful observation, good fieldcraft and simply being fortunate enough to find one.

Their secretive nature also makes avoiding disturbance especially important. I take a cautious approach to photographing Long-eared Owls, allowing the bird to remain comfortable and never pushing an encounter for the sake of an image.

The gallery below brings together some of my favourite Long-eared Owl images, all photographed ethically and without baiting.