Short eared owl.

A beautiful image of a Short Eared Owl quartering a field in Gloucestershire in search of voles. As dusk settles over the Gloucestershire farmland, I find myself drawn to the quiet beauty of the countryside, where the fields stretch out in golden hues under the fading light. In the distance, a silhouette catches my eye—a short-eared owl, gliding effortlessly on silent wings as it hunts for voles in the tall grasses.

With keen eyesight and acute hearing, the owl navigates the landscape with precision, its movements fluid and graceful as it swoops low over the fields. I watch in awe as it hones in on its prey, its wings outstretched like a ghostly spectre against the darkening sky.

With each pass, the owl dips and dives, scanning the ground below for any sign of movement. Suddenly, it strikes—a swift and decisive motion as it snatches a vole from its hiding place among the grasses. In that moment, predator and prey become locked in a timeless dance of survival, a reminder of the delicate balance of nature.

As I raise my camera to capture the scene, I am filled with a sense of wonder and reverence for this magnificent creature and the role it plays in the ecosystem. In the quiet stillness of the evening, amidst the fields and hedgerows of the Gloucestershire countryside, I bear witness to the timeless cycle of life and death, and the enduring power of the natural world.