Juvenile Burrowing Owl – A Dubious Strategy Against The Wind

Young Burrowing Owls are endlessly entertaining. Last month in Box Elder County, Utah I watched this juvenile attempt to deal with a rather strong wind in a novel way.

 

burrowing owl 3539b ron dudley

 1/3200, f/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in 

The wire perch was precarious in the stiff breeze and it kept losing its balance so it backed up and leaned steeply into a metal post and braced itself between the post and a clump of wire. As you can see the wind was strong enough to lift the feathers on the back of the bird.

I thought the strategy was quite ingenious for a bird but it didn’t work for long.

 

 

burrowing owl 3541b ron dudley

  1/3200, f/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in 

A sudden gust very nearly toppled the bird but its instincts and quick reflexes…

 

 

burrowing owl 3543b ron dudley

  1/3200, f/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in

enabled it to recover, though not without some…

 

 

burrowing owl 3554b ron dudley

  1/3200, f/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in 

apparent chagrin and embarrassment over its near calamity. It looked at me as if to see if I had noticed and then braced itself even more tightly against the post. If the bird understood the meaning of a wide human grin it knew that I most certainly had noticed.

Ron

Note: Some recent feedback from a reader informed me of some difficulty he was having reading my blog on an iPad because of the small print so you may have noticed that I’ve increased the font size. Please let me know if the change causes any problems for you on whatever platform you may be using. Thanks.

32 Comments

  1. I was so interested in what the wind was doing to the feathers in the first photo that I tried to look up the wind speed in Box Elder Count UT for that day. Wunderground did not give me the information. Do you know how strongly the wind was blowing and gusting to create such havoc with the youngster, Ron?

  2. Do you think they know you are watching them?

  3. Really cute little guy! Thanks for giving me a good chuckle!

  4. I am smiling wide enough to hurt my face – but there is jealousy and awe as well. I believe that the owl is asking whether you could do that. And in my case the answer is a firm no. Face plant time.

  5. Poor Owl lol. It looks at you as if it is saying “You didn’t see that” Love all of the pictures. You are a great story teller!

    • “You are a great story teller”

      My mother used to tell me that occasionally when I was quite young, Jean. I don’t think she meant it as a compliment…

  6. Humming Bird Lover

    Hi! Great shooting! That brave little Owl! Love them! Have a great day!

  7. Terrific series, Ron! I’m familiar with that look. Since I’m usually looking skyward or treeward (?) I invariably find a loose rock or log and after I stumble over it have learned to say “I meant to do that”!

    • My brother in law is famous for “that look”, Wally – one incident in particular that involved him fainting after getting a shot (inoculation) and recovering on the lawn just as a stunning young lady walked by…

  8. That was hysterical and a great way to start my day! Thanks Ron.

  9. Love the series, Ron! And for what it’s worth, I can read your posts fine on my iTouch, which of course is the same size as an iPhone. (Granted, I’m so nearsighted I’m legally blind, and read your posts without my glasses on! 🙂 Lucky thing I’m not an owl…

    • “I’m so nearsighted I’m legally blind, and read your posts without my glasses on!”

      No wonder you like my posts, Alison – you can’t see the flaws. 🙂

  10. As a followup, the “reader” function is on tablets like the ipad. It doesn’t appear on full size computers.
    Brett

  11. Hi Ron, great post as usual. Regarding the ipad size of text-there is a function in the browser window on most sites (yours included) that allow a readable change in text size. It is called reader function and it is a symbol of four stacked horizontal lines in the left side of the browser window. Just touch that symbol and the text becomes larger. I hope this is helpful.
    Brett

  12. OMG, that look! This was a great way to start my morning.

  13. Deborah Rehnstrom

    Did he have a red face? 😬 The face us humans have when we suddenly trip or stub our toe and someone is watching and giggles! He almost has that look of embarrassment. Amazing to see the wonderful behavior of birds. It’s why we adore them so. Thank you for sharing your observations. Enjoying watching your journey! Enjoy every moment!

  14. Jo Ann Donnelly

    Wonderful series. Ron!! I have fallen in love with these little comedians & this is a terrific example of why. I can’t believe you were able to keep your camera steady as you captured this series of hilarious reactions of this sweetie’s wind gusts!!!

  15. Charlotte Norton

    Wonderful behavioral shots Ron!
    Charlotte

  16. Great shots and wonderful narrative!! I am reading this on my iPad and the font does looks bigger. The reply box font looks small to me, but I can manage it.

  17. “I’m still chuckling at the Owls expense!!”

    Me too, Dick. They’re just so darned adorable. And entertaining!

  18. The last image says it all: “So, you think it’s funny?”

    Yes as a matter of fact! Great shots Ron, I’m still chuckling at the Owls expense!!

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