Barbara, Grant & I headed out to Marchurst Road to try for the owl. It was our third attempt, but this time there were no other birders lined up in their cars.
We cruised back and forth slowly with no success, then decided to go further west past the intersection of the loop road. Suddenly we all spotted it simultaneously with it's characteristic moth-like flight over the field to the south. It was distant, at the back of the field.
We jumped out and attempted a few photos, knowing full well that it was too far for a good image.
After flying back and forth a couple of times, it vanished behind the trees. We drove all around the roads, hoping to pick it up, but we only got a fleeting even more distant look.
This was a life bird, so we were pleased, in spite of the poor quality of the photos we obtained.
Just a quick note of thanks. Had been out to Marchurst site once, with no result. After reading your post, I went back with the plan to pay more attention to the treeline. Success. In my case, after driving around for a bit with no result, I parked on the loop and just scanned the treeline to the NW until we spotted the bird.
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