A THIXENDALE artist and conservationist is urging wildlife enthusiasts to look out for short-eared owls, as he says it has been a bumper year.

Robert Fuller, who combines his wildlife art with conservation and is a Gazette & Herald columnist, said: "They are beautiful owls with a very long wingspan, which makes them easier to identify as you see them out hunting on the wing."

The British Isles have a resident population of short-eared owls which mainly live on moorland, migrating to lower-lying lands when cold weather sets in.

But much of Britain’s winter population is made up of owls that have migrated to the UK from Scandinavia, Iceland and Russia. These birds will fly more than 1,000 miles in search of good hunting grounds and to escape bad weather.

The owls are currently on the RSPB's amber list of species in crisis. They favour large areas of rough grass, estuaries and marshes where they are more likely to find voles, their preferred prey.

Mr Fuller said: "Unfortunately the population of voles has been low this year and I hope there will be enough to sustain this recent large influx.

"The lack of voles will, however, ensure that the short-eared owls will be hunting during the day, when you are more likely to see them. The best time to see them in winter is during the late afternoon and large numbers of owls can occur in areas of good hunting.

"I would recommend anyone at a loss for something to do over the Christmas holidays to have a drive over the Wolds or along the Humber and look out for one of the best wildlife spectacles of the season."

Mr Fuller’s paintings and photographs of the short-eared owls he watched on the Wolds are show in his gallery in Thixendale. For opening hours, go to robertefuller.com