Nature notes ·
Where to see short-eared owls in the UK this winter
The short answer
Short-eared owls are the owl you can plan for, because they hunt in daylight. They start arriving on the UK's east coast from early October, with birds from Scandinavia, Russia and Iceland joining the resident population. The best places this winter are coastal and wetland reserves: RSPB Bempton Cliffs, Frampton Marsh, Nene Washes, Dee Estuary at Parkgate, Loch Leven and the Orkney reserves. Aim for the middle of the afternoon on a dry, calm day.
When do short-eared owls arrive in the UK?
The UK has a small resident breeding population on the uplands, but the owls most people see on a winter trip are visitors. The RSPB says short-eared owls arrive here from Germany, Holland, Iceland, Scandinavia and Russia from October onwards, and quotes a count of 54 birds flying in from the sea at Holme Dunes in Norfolk in early October one autumn. The BTO backs this up: birds ringed on the east coast in autumn have come from Scandinavia, and some stay for the winter.
So by early November the east-coast sites are already holding birds. Numbers keep building through late autumn and are usually highest from November to February.
Why they are the owl to plan a trip around
Most British owls are hard to see. The short-eared is the exception. The BTO calls it one of the most active British owls in daylight, and the RSPB says it is often seen hunting during the day in winter. That is the thing that makes it practical for a planned visit with children and a camera.
The pattern varies from site to site. One birder at Aust Warth on the Severn Estuary, quoted by Discover Wildlife, says the owls are usually on the wing in mid-afternoon. At most other coastal and wetland reserves, the last two hours before dusk are a reliable bet on a dry, calm day. A wet, windy afternoon is a wasted trip.
They hunt low and slowly, with buoyant, almost floppy wingbeats. When one spots a vole it drops like a stone.
Where to see short-eared owls in the UK this winter
Numbers move with the voles, so this winter's best site may not be last winter's. For 2026 to 2027, the RSPB's current recommendations for a winter visit are:
- RSPB Bempton Cliffs, East Riding of Yorkshire. The RSPB's Nature's Calendar for November names Bempton as a good place for short-eared owls. Watch the clifftop fields and the walk out to Staple Newk.
- RSPB Dee Estuary (Parkgate), Cheshire. The high-tide roosts at Parkgate push owls and harriers up over the marsh in full view of the sea wall.
- RSPB Exminster and Powderham Marshes, Devon. The RSPB lists these together for winter raptors over wet grassland.
- RSPB Frampton Marsh, Lincolnshire. Big, flat, reedy saltmarsh, with a visitor centre and all-abilities paths.
- RSPB Nene Washes, Cambridgeshire. Flooded grazing marsh with short-eared owls and hen harriers in most winters.
- Loch Leven, Perth and Kinross. A National Nature Reserve managed by NatureScot, with an RSPB reserve on part of it.
- Orkney: RSPB Hobbister and RSPB Trumland. Orkney's resident population is topped up in winter, and the RSPB lists both sites for short-eared owls.
- Aust Warth, Severn Estuary. The strip of tussocky saltmarsh between the two Severn bridges, named by Discover Wildlife. Up to six or seven owls have gathered in cold snaps.
If a reserve isn't on your way, any open coastal marsh or rough grazing on the east or south coast is worth an afternoon. The BTO says breeding numbers "fluctuate markedly in response to prey availability", and the same cycles drive the local winter counts.
How to watch without pushing them off
A short-eared owl that lifts off because of you has lost a hunting window, and in winter those windows are short.
- Stay on footpaths and use the hides and screens the reserves provide.
- Keep dogs on a short lead across marsh and rough grass.
- Give any perched owl 100 metres. If it is looking at you, you are already too close.
- Don't play calls. Short-eared owl is a Schedule 1 species when it is breeding, which puts a sharper edge on disturbance, but winter visitors deserve the same quiet treatment.
- Turn the flash off on a camera.
The RSPB's reserve staff are usually happy to point you at the best field that afternoon, which saves a lot of standing in the wrong place.
How rare they are
The BTO puts the UK breeding population at 610 to 2,140 pairs, and lists the species as Amber on the UK Birds of Conservation Concern. Its breeding range in Britain shrank by 48% between the 1968 to 1972 atlas and the 2008 to 2011 atlas, which is why so few southern counties still have breeding birds. Winter populations are far larger because of the continental arrivals, but they swing a long way from one winter to the next with the vole cycle. 2023 was a strong year, linked to high vole numbers; sources point out that the big influxes make news but shouldn't be treated as the normal picture.
For most of us, the winter owl trip is the moment to see one well. A calm afternoon on a reed-fringed marsh, a slow, pale shape working the tussocks, and one plunge into the grass. Worth the drive.
Quick questions
When do short-eared owls arrive in the UK?
From early October. The RSPB says birds join the resident population from Germany, Holland, Iceland, Scandinavia and Russia from October onwards, and names a count of 54 arriving from the sea at Holme Dunes in Norfolk in early October one year. The BTO confirms that birds ringed on the east coast in autumn have come from Scandinavia.
Do short-eared owls hunt during the day?
Yes. The BTO calls the short-eared owl one of the most active British owls in daylight, though it is still largely nocturnal and crepuscular. That is why it is the easier owl to plan a visit around: barn owls and tawnies are much harder to see in good light.
What is the best time of day to see one?
Sources differ a little. The RSPB says they are often seen through the day in winter, and recommends afternoon and dusk at coastal reserves. One well-known birder at Aust Warth on the Severn says they are usually on the wing in mid-afternoon. In practice, the last two hours before dusk on a dry, calm day are a safe bet.
How many short-eared owls are there in the UK?
The BTO estimates 610 to 2,140 breeding pairs, which it says makes short-eared owl a rare breeding bird. Winter numbers are much higher, as birds arrive from continental Europe and Iceland, but they fluctuate a lot between years because the species is a vole specialist and vole populations run in cycles.
Are short-eared owls rare or protected?
They are on the UK Amber list of birds of conservation concern, and the BTO reports a 48% decline in breeding range between 1968 to 1972 and 2008 to 2011. All wild birds are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and short-eared owl is one of the species where disturbance at a nest is an additional offence under Schedule 1, which matters in spring and summer rather than on a winter visit.
Where is the best place in the UK to see short-eared owls?
There is no one site, because numbers depend on local vole years. For winter 2026 to 2027, the RSPB recommends Bempton Cliffs in Yorkshire, Parkgate on the Dee Estuary, Exminster and Powderham Marshes in Devon, Frampton Marsh in Lincolnshire, Nene Washes in Cambridgeshire, Loch Leven in Perth and Kinross, and the Orkney reserves at Hobbister and Trumland.
The animals in this note
What else is about: October · November · December · January · February
In the game, find these in: The Norfolk Broads