The Uitkerkse Polders are by far the best place in Belgium to see Short-eared Owl, with numbers fluctuating each winter, although I have never seen more than two at once. The past few days, however, simply ridiculous numbers have been reported and I was convinced people were double-counting birds in flight but decided I had to check out what was going on. Having started in Heist, where I got a great view of the long-staying juvenile Barred Warbler, I arrived at the owl location to find around 30 birders and four visible Short-eared Owls roosting amongst the grasses of a dried-up hollow. By the time I left, two owls had already started hunting yet another nine were still sitting on the ground, making a total of 11 (and, going by other people's counts, it seems there were even more hiding out of sight)! I've no idea if this an early influx or, perhaps, as some people have suggested, the result of successful breeding in the area but now is definitely the time to get to the polders if you want to see a Short-eared Owl or eleven!
