This last spring, I had a chance to meet some Burrowing Owls, lifer birds for me.
At this time of the season, they were busy digging out their burrows and protecting their territories. This pair below (male on the left, female on the right) took a moment to check me out before going back to their home construction project.
All of the owls in this post were seen in a suburban subdivision made up of homes, yards, and commercial properties. The owls took advantage of human-made things like fences and sign posts, which made perfect look-out perches.
In areas that were more overgrown with grass and wildflowers, the owls blended in very well. The human residents of the area love and welcome the owls, who hunt rodents, lizards, and insects.
The only bullies of the owls seemed to be curious Fish Crows. The crow in the photo below brought a stick to the perch and [I believe] pretended to play with it while surreptitiously checking out the owl.
The activity drew the attention of a second crow.
Although dwarfed by the crows, the owl was not perturbed by their presence.
These fierce little owls can take anyone down with their intimidating stare.
After spending the afternoon working on the burrows, the owls chilled out as the sun went down, taking brief naps before an evening spent hunting.
My time with the owls was short, but exhilarating. This visit ranks high on my list of birding experiences, and I plan to do it again soon.
