Whenever Burrowing Owls take up residence in a burrow close to the road on the island they quickly become “discovered” and vulnerable.
1/4000, f/5.6, ISO 1600, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4x, not baited, set up or called in
The burrow of this owl and its apparent mate (who seems to be the most shy of the two birds) is quite close to the main road that loops around the north end of the island so it’s fairly unusual not to find at least one vehicle parked along the shoulder with a big (or small) lens pointed in the direction of the burrow. Most folks seem respectful of the birds and don’t get out of their vehicles or approach the burrow and as long as that continues these owls may become acclimated to traffic and parked vehicles and have a successful nesting season. But just one stupid act may cause them to abandon the burrow. A few days ago as I crested a small hill I saw a man walking back toward his red pickup from the direction of the burrow. I don’t know how close he actually got to it but I have my suspicions and they make me shudder. A couple of days later I was delighted to see that the birds were still there.
On one early summer morning several years ago I saw a group of 4-5 people trample right over the top of an active burrow as they investigated it. There was a mated pair of owls in residence but that burrow was soon abandoned.
Here’s a link to another particularly egregious example of unethical and disrespectful human behavior toward Burrowing Owls that I’ve documented.
There’s another active burrow on the island next to a dirt track “road” that may be even more vulnerable than this one because the location is more remote so thoughtless and/or deliberately unethical acts by humans are less likely to be observed by others. I was happy to see that during the recent “Buffalo Run” (a series of races on the island that draws large crowds and gobs of traffic) park personnel closed off this road in an apparent effort to protect the burrow.
Personally I seldom photograph at this burrow (the one in the photo). The light angle is less than ideal (the burrow is south of the road) and the owls still seem nervous so I figure they don’t need any more pressure than they already have. But if they eventually calm down a little (a good sign of that will be finding them perched high on nearby sagebrush or old sunflower stems while vehicles are nearby) I probably won’t be able to resist them.
Ron
Note to photographers: The reason for my high shutter speed and ISO is that I was set up for this bird to take off. Burrowing Owls are incredibly fast and I wanted sharp shots if that should happen. I was also testing the high ISO capabilities of the Canon 7D Mark II.
Ron, it’s nice to see your addressing proper etiquette in photographing the Burrowing Owls, or really, any of the wildlife on Antelope Island. Being on the trail patrol I see a lot of visitors to the island and witnessed a fellow standing two feet from the burrow your referring to along the loop road. In confronting him he admitted hiking over to the one across the street also. He was told if he gets so close to the animals that it makes them move, it’s considered wildlife harassment, and if he’s caught doing it again he’ll be ticketed. When parking cars for the 850+ people there for the Buffalo Run, we made sure the two upper roads were coned and barricaded with tape to keep the owls from being disturbed. Egg island, which is not an island anymore with the lake so low, is now closed to the public year round with signs to that effect. We have also installed a sign on the ranch silo, stating owls are nesting and don’t disturb them. We had a professional photographer bringing out clients to photograph the Barn Owl in the silo. He would stick his head inside the silo to scare the owl, then they would photograph it leaving and returning. Unfortunately we cant’t be everywhere at once, but hopefully the word will get out that you need to keep your distance from the nesting birds. Didn’t mean to ramble on but this is a disturbing issue we’re dealing with.
Ster
Thank you for caring for the birds first. By putting them before “getting the shot” I believe you win!
Wonderful shot Ron! I would hope that folks are just uninformed and the park could possibly do 2 things. First, post warning signs to stay back from the burrow with penalties attached for not keeping the perimeter and they could also rope off the area. Most birders are respectful but it is always incumbent on us all to help with those who aren’t.
Charlotte
Love the owls. A whole lot more than I do quite a lot of my own species. Ignorant, self-centred and greedy. It ISN’T all about us, and there is no reason it should be. Climbing down from my soap box and doing a Sulkpot ben Nagnag, as I stomp away.
“It ISN’T all about us”
Exactly, EC. At least it shouldn’t be…
The owl’s expression says it all: “Sigh. Another day, another paparazzo.”
Within a few hours of posting a Burrowing Owl photo recently, I received five emails asking for the exact location. I’m afraid my sarcastic side escaped as I replied “Peninsular Florida” to all queries. I regret having replied at all.
I wish your owls all the best.
Ha, I love your reply, Wally!
I don’t disclose owl locations or nesting birds of any species, for obvious reasons. Delighted to hear that you’re of similar ilk.
Wally, I commend you for your answer. And I’m sure the Owl would, too. 🙂
Another great start to my day, thanks! We now have 2 owls living in the neighbor’s trees and we are able to hear them during the night.
Claudia, I have several large to very large trees in my yard and for 30 years I’ve been hoping for an owl or two in one of them. Hasn’t happened and yes, I’m jealous.
I can see why people are charmed by these funny little guys….if only their admirers were less ignorant and destructive. I often wonder and worry about the “dumbing down” of our society…this particularly seems to apply to anything and everything in the natural world. It seems to this old, retired teacher that stupidity is running rampant…How very, very sad!!!
I’m afraid you’re right, Patty. It seems like every advancement in awareness of ecological issues made and appreciated by some segments of our society are more than balanced out by ignorant or blatantly deliberate acts and attitudes that are destructive. Sad…
Was wondering about the high shutter speed. Yes, understand perfectly. They do move quickly.
Rich
Richard, I’m notorious for relatively high shutter speeds. For my usual style of shooting (flight, take-off and behavior shots), overall it gets me more sharp shots that I like than what I lose to the negative effects of high ISO’s. But I do occasionally get burned by them too…