Long-eared and Short-eared Owls are very similar, but I'd agree with Bart that Wilson's photo shows a Long-eared Owl.
If you compare the wing tip pattern of the Short-eared Owls on the OBC website with Wilson's bird, you'll see that Short-eared Owl has obvious black tips to the outer 3-4 primaries and another black bar a little further inside the primaries. Long-eared Owl has a less contrasting black pattern on these primaries.
An excellent reference is the Collins Bird Guide: The Most Complete Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe.
David
[ Last edited by ddavid at 5/12/2013 23:19 ]
