Short-eared owls do not seem to fear northern harriers, as I have seen them?engage harrriers in aerial skirmishes.?? The skirmishes appear to be territorial?disputes?or one bird trying to?steal the other's?meal rather than one bird preying upon the other.? Both birds?are about the same size, hunt in a similar manner,?and are in competition for the?same prey in the same areas?during daylight hours.??
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A short-eared owl might be the prey of a large raptor such as?a?hawk or eagle and? transform itself into a stump as a camouflage defense mechanism.
Bill Anderson; Edmonds, WA. USA