In the autumn, many Long-eared Owls arrive from Scandinavia and other parts of the Continent, turning up at Bird Observatories and other coastal sites. Inland, their traditional day-time roost sites, where several birds gather together, attract lots of birdwatchers. The BTO’s winter atlas reveals where birds were spotted in the winters between 1981 and 1984.

In his book The State of the Nations’ Birds, Chris Mead estimated that there are fewer than five thousand pairs in the British Isles, with half of these in the island of Ireland.

Breeding pairs have already been lost from many areas of England and Wales. To see an earlier distribution map, click here.