On my tour of the plains yesterday I was sure I would see my ‘first of the season’ of these cool little guys but I came up empty despite checking 10 different usual hot spots. I have no doubt though that they are out there and those spots will soon have their summer residents. This image was taken almost exactly one year ago on April 9, 2017.

During the summer Burrowing Owls can be found across much of the western United States. At more southern latitudes closer to Mexico and in Florida they stay in place year round. Unlike most owls, Burrowing Owls are diurnal (versus nocturnal) so it is quite common to find them out and about during the day.

Burrowing Owls are considered a threatened species here in the Colorado. Their numbers appear to be on the decline as humans take over and destroy their habitat. Many folks think nothing of wiping out Prairie Dog colonies, a keystone species itself, but don’t think of the cascading effects of that on all of the other creatures down the line, including these little guys.

And here I thought I stayed focused on my subjects! This pretty lady seemed quite intent to keep its gaze on me as well. 😉

A local wildlife photographer group arranged for a visit with Nature’s Educators, a non-profit group that does public outreach events to educate the public on wildlife. Most of the animals in the group’s care cannot be released into the wild for a variety of reasons.

Such is the case with Attis, a Burrowing Owl. She was hit by a car and suffered a broken wing that was unable to be fixed and as a result she cannot fly or be released into the wild. Instead, Attis now serves as an ambassador for the group. She gave me some fantastic looks and an opportunity to get much closer than what you normally could in the wild.

During the summer Burrowing Owls can be found across much of the western United States. At more southern latitudes closer to Mexico and in Florida they stay in place year round. Unlike most owls, Burrowing Owls are diurnal (versus nocturnal) so it is quite common to find them out and about during the day. Burrowing Owls are considered a threatened species here in the Colorado. Their numbers appear to be on the decline as humans take over and destroy their habitat.

If you’re interested, this image is available here.

This morning I shared an image of a whole clan of these cool little raptors. Here is a close up of one of the adults. It was kind enough to hang out in a spot with some nice flowers to add some color. Okay, I realize they may just be flowering weeds but it still looks better than the dirt mounts we normally see them on. 😀

During the summer Burrowing Owls can be found across much of the western United States. At more southern latitudes closer to Mexico and in Florida they stay in place year round. Unlike most owls, Burrowing Owls are diurnal (versus nocturnal) so it is quite common to find them out and about during the day.

Burrowing Owls are considered a threatened species here in the Colorado. Their numbers appear to be on the decline as humans take over and destroy their habitat. Many folks think nothing of wiping out Prairie Dog colonies, a keystone species itself, but don’t think of the cascading effects of that on all of the other creatures down the line, including these little guys.

I was trying to decide what to post a picture of this morning, trying to keep an eye toward a creature I hadn’t posted in a while. Burrowing Owls were what I settled on and while I have images of these cool little ones that are far better, I remembered this one.

Taken back at the end of June, it shows more Burrowing Owls in a single picture than I have ever seen – one adult and nine young ones! I had never seen so many at a single burrow, usually finding four or five at a time. They can have clutches from two to 12 so this family was at the upper end of the spectrum.

One of this summer’s favorite pairs of Burrowing Owls. They provided me with a good number of photo opportunities although once their little ones began emerging, they became a bit more reclusive and standoffish.

It won’t be long now and the family will begin their journey to someplace further south for the winter. During the summer Burrowing Owls can be found across much of the western United States. At more southern latitudes closer to Mexico and in Florida they stay in place year round.

Unlike most owls, they are diurnal (versus nocturnal) so it is quite common to find them out and about during the day. Burrowing Owls are considered a threatened species here in the Colorado. Their numbers appear to be on the decline as humans take over and destroy their habitat.

Many folks think nothing of wiping out Prairie Dog colonies, a keystone species itself, but don’t think of the cascading effects of that on all of the other creatures down the line, including these little guys.

This adult Burrowing Owl made it pretty clear by its stare that it didn’t care too much to have its picture taken. Last year, the USDA and Denver International Airport attempted to eradicate these and other raptors from the land surrounding the airport by destroying any Prairie Dog colony nearby. While it worked in the short term, in the long term the effort failed and the Burrowing Owls (and Prairie Dogs) are back.

Kind of a fun image from a couple of weeks ago out near Denver International Airport. As planes came and went, this little guy seemed to be keeping close watch on the goings on.

There seems to have been a bumper crop of little owlets at many of the nest sites this year. One even had as many as NINE little ones! At one nearby, there were five. Here, one of the parents, probably seeking a break from all those hungry mouths, decided it would rather hang out on a roadside sign post than at home. Not a very safe thing to do but I can sympathize. 😉

😉 Mama Burrowing Owl flies and slides in at the burrow.

The lady here caught me – and her mate – a bit by surprise. I was photographing him as he was just standing there looking at me and I had assumed she was down in the burrow keeping her eggs warm.

Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I see motion and instinctively start clicking the shutter. I only managed two captures of her as she came flying in fast and hot. Judging by the look in her eyes, she was well aware I was there too.

Perhaps these little guys are baseball fans?

I’m not sure who was more surprised by the close proximity I and this Burrowing Owl found ourselves in – me or the owl.

I was taking pictures of him and his mate at their burrow about 20 yards away when suddenly he decided to fly closer and landed not 15 feet away, right outside my truck window. He seemed pretty surprised at my presence although I had been sitting there for an hour.

This pair has become quite famous due to their easily accessed location and they always seem to put on a show. It shouldn’t be long before the female retreats to the burrow with eggs and then in a month or so little ones will arrive if all goes well.

For more pics of these cool little owls, see here.