SPOTTED: rare owl seen in Hampshire
A RARELY-SEEN owl has caused excitement after being spotted on the outskirts of Southampton.
Bird spotters say they have discovered a pair of Short Eared Owls roosting in trees next to the Daily Echo offices.
The animals have been seen hunting over the grassland in the field next to our offices in Test Lane.
The RSPB says there are between 5,000-50,000 of the birds wintering in the UK every year, of which up to 2,180 will breed.
The organisation says short-eared owls most commonly breed in the North and Scotland and are seen most during winter when they can live near coastal marshes and wetlands.
They count voles among their favourite meals, with a diet consisting largely of small mammals.
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