Because of their comical tendencies, expressive faces and uninhibited behaviors juvenile Burrowing Owls just may be the most interesting and entertaining birds I photograph.
1/3200, f/8, ISO 500, Canon 7D, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
This group of young siblings was practicing their take-off and landing skills last summer on a large rock very near their burrow complex in Box Elder County, Utah. They were lined up on the spine of the rock facing into the breeze and would alternately take off, circle around, and then come back and land on the rock again. Here, as evidenced by the shadow on the rock at lower right and the locked visual focus of four of the five siblings, one of the youngsters is hovering above the rock as it decides when and where to land. The one bird (second from right) not watching the incoming owl is looking forward and apparently planning its take-off.
1/3200, f/8, ISO 500, Canon 7D, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Four frames later in the burst that owl has taken off but the one in the air that we can’t see (based on the shadow) is still hovering in almost the exact same spot. A moment later it landed on the rock and yet another bird took off. The scene reminded me of pilots practicing touch and go landings as they waited for clearance from ground control.
Six months ago I posted a different photo of this behavior so the scene may look familiar to some of my viewers.
Ron
These photos are priceless. Thank you for putting a smile on my face.
Can I have your approval to blog this on my twitter?
Mason, I’m ok with you sharing the link to my blog post on twitter. I’m not ok with lifting and sharing images. Thanks for asking first.
Just another amazing capture of beautiful birds and their behavior…I’m in awe…as usual!
HAHAHAHAHAAH!!!! NOOOOO!! Cuteness overload, Ron!!!!!! Love, love, love … and add a love for each one of these doll-babies!!!
Ooh and aah. What a wonderful school day to observe. Thank you Ron. And you can post photos of these little charmers just as often as you want to.
My favorite subjects for all the reasons you stated! Now, if I can just find some!
Ron, terrific photographs capturing the “flight training”!
Wow–those are some amazing shots of a behavior I am delighted to see. That 1st photo is RIDICULOUSLY great. =) Thanks for your continued great work. I esp. appreciate it as I’ve done MANY surveys for burrowing owls & their burrows, but seldom actually SEE them. =)
They can be difficult to see and then suddenly they seem to be everywhere around the burrow when the juvies become active, Samantha. Thank you.
Wonderful images. It is really great in my opinion.
Glad you enjoyed them, Ipas. Thanks.
Burrowing Owls are the last item on my bucket list. I just know I’m going to expire of The Cutes after finally seeing them!
Wonderful shots–portraits are great, but I’m all about the behavior.
“Expire of The Cutes” – loved that, Naomi. Thank you.
RON–WHAT DID YOU DO WITH THOSE WONDERFUL BURROWING OWLS THAT GRACED THE TOP OF YOUR BLOG???? I CAN’T FIND THEM!!!! HELP!!!!
HELP
Patty, I occasionally switch out the images in my rotating banner just for a little variety. You can see many of the larger versions of those Burrowing Owl images here:
https://www.featheredphotography.com/blog/2010/11/08/burrowing-owls-clowns-of-the-bird-world/
Another snowy morning…with worse (a “winter mix”) yet to come…..BUT! BURROWING OWLS!!! My gloomy mood switched around completely, as it always does when I see these, funny, funny birds! They don’t even have to doing anything to make me smile or laugh out loud. How can birds that don’t change expression have such funny ones??? A delightful mystery!!! You must LOVE photographing them…but, keeping the camera steady while guffawing and through tears must be quite a challenge. I love their eyes! Although I raised a screech owl and Great Horned, these have to be some of my favorites. The bright, yellow flower is the perfect touch. I did recognize the scene, and could very happily see these characters at least once a week, especially through this winter….
I’ll bet you miss your owls, Patty – that must have been fun.
I do miss them, especially. My GHO’S “whinny”. And the little guy’s tremulo. I I miss so many animals, especially late at night when sleep evades me…birds, dogs, squirrels, even a raccoon, a ‘possum and a woodchuck. It’s a long list. I can’t even think of a particular horse, my crow, or my wolf dog without hurting…a lot…..
Special subjects, indeed! How do you train them to perform like this for you?
Dave, these owls don’t need training to put on a show (as you well know). They’re natural clowns…
I wonder if you could get a prescription for a tape (at least 20-30 minutes long) of warthogs and burrowing owls…to combat winter blues and other forms of depression…
Dealing with 12″ of snow this morning in Baltimore area. This makes my day that much brighter!
The juvenile owls lined up; kind of reminds me of kids lining up at the diving board, waiting their turn…
Thanks, Bill and I like your “diving board” comparison. Though I’m certainly ready for spring we need some of your snow…
What a nice way to start the day. I like the little sunflower(?)in the images. You’ve got to love those eyes too. Thanks Ron, you’ve brightened my day already.
Yes, it’s a sunflower and I like it too, Steve. Thank you.
Oh mine, they are so cute, it’s like a little community looking up at the sky all together! I image you’re anxious to get the new 7D Mark II. Ron, I’m quite surprised with the 70D’s image quality. I don’t know if you have the touch screen LCD, but that’s another new feature Canon has.
I don’t know yet what I’m going to do about the Mark 11, Maria but knowing my track record I’ll probably be seduced…