#2846 "Short-eared Owl"

#2846 "Short-eared Owl" 
20x16 inches oils on stretched canvas
Started March 6th, 2024

My friend John Verburg took about 300 pictures of a group of twenty short-eared owls in an initial encounter that lasted only twenty minutes. A "no trespassing" sign kept him from following the owls until a retired ferryboat captain came along with a key and invited John to come in and continue his adventure. The short-eared owl is uncommon to rare. 

At the Studio Easel while wet weather prevailed outside. The Pacific Energy Wood Stove is very efficient and adds a beautiful, cozy feeling to the room. It is a vast improvement over my original Studio in the cramped. space under the basement stairs. I charge in and start with the brush 
trying to remain painterly and loose.

I wanted the eyes of the short-eared owl to lock onto those of the viewer. The soul of all creatures can be found in the eyes and they must be perfect. 

Other common names for the short-eared owl are grass owl, marsh owl, and prairie owl, all descriptive of the open country the species selects, and habitat that includes low shrublands. "Shorties," as the English like to call them, live on every continent except Antarctica and Australia. 

Short-eared Owls are thought to be vulnerable to the effects of various threats in breeding and wintering areas as well as along their migration routes. The likely threats to the species in Ontario include: 

• habitat shifting and alteration, 
• loss of nesting and wintering habitat to urban expansion, 
• pesticides
• increased nest depredation (as a result of habitat fragmentation),
• declines in prey abundance as a result of habitat changes, and
• collisions with vehicles, utility lines, and barbed wire fences as well as wind energy arrays. 

The Short-eared Owl,  Scientific name Asio flammeus has a status of "Special Concern". The owl has suffered a continuing population decline over the past 40 years, including a loss of 23% in the last decade alone. Tragically, this species nearly meets the criteria for Threatened status. 

The estimated global population is about 2,000,000, with 700,000 in North America and 350,000 in Canada. Christmas Bird Count data suggest that Short-eared Owls have declined at a rate of about 3% annually over the last 40 years. 

These special birds and all of nature in fact, deserve our respect and assistance to ensure that they survive for countless more centuries. 

For this and much more art, click on Pixels or go straight to the Collections. Here is the new Wet Paint 2024 Collection. 

Warmest regards and keep your paddle in the water,

Phil Chadwick