One determined looking little owl here – and one that just is not getting much of a rest these days.

I visited some of the burrowing owl nest sites I have been watching and found all had little ones out and about. The parents were very busy with all those little mouths to feed.

This male had taken a brief break on a fence and after a time, hearing the calls of his brood, he knew he needed to get back to work. As he departed, he gave me this awesome flight shot. Of course those bright, yellow eyes just really grab your attention.

Taken from my favorite burrowing owl spot of the year, this nest has six little ones, a number that keeps the parents very busy. Mama is extraordinarily protective though, frequently sending out random warning calls sending the owlets scurrying underground. As always, these owls are very entertaining although their small size can make them a challenge to photograph, particularly in flight.

Well this was a pleasant sight on my photo drive today and coming on Father’s Day, appropriate.

Now is about the time the owlets will begin showing themselves. I spent about a half hour watching the little one and dad and never saw another but I am sure there are more down below.

This particular burrow is a pretty long shot so I am anxious for little ones at some of the closer ones that I watch to reveal themselves.

Well, this guy had eyes for me for sure. 😉 

We had challenging photo conditions most of this past weekend with heavily overcast skies and rain. That did not stop me from venturing out and Monday found me on the northeastern Colorado plains observing burrowing owls.

This handsome fellow proved to be the best photo subject of the day, giving me some great poses and, best of all, some flight shots. Here, he relocates himself closer to me and in fact ended up only about 10 feet away.

I always struggle with flight shots of these little owls as they are so fast and small and the camera has a hard time picking them out of the background. This time, things came together for a pretty cool shot.

Right now the females are spending most of their time in the nest, keeping eggs warm. Those will hatch in a few weeks then, a few weeks after that, we should start seeing the little ones emerge.

A burrowing owl being quite brave by hiding behind its mate last weekend. 😉 

I haven’t photographed these guys very often this year, just haven’t had the right conditions to get good pics of them.

Soon, the females will be spending most of their time in the burrow sitting on eggs and 28 days after that, the little ones will be born. Some weeks later, the families will make their public appearance and that is when the real fun begins in terms of photographing them.

This was a fun capture – and a bit of a lucky one.

This owl’s mate and it were hanging out in one of my favorite spots recently. The mate was pretty close and giving me some nice poses but this one, well, it opted to keep its distance. After a while, this one decided it wanted to join the photoshoot and came flying in.

I only had a split second to reorient my camera and thankfully, it managed to lock on just as the owl banked and prepared to land. I have very few quality flight shots of burrowing owls as they are very small and very fast so it was nice to get one early in the season.

Better late than never! Normally I spot my first burrowing owls of the season around the last week of March. This year they seem to be arriving a bit slower than usual as I just saw my first one this past weekend.

This handsome fellow and his mate have staked out a spot right on the edge of suburbia northeast of Denver. Last year, the pair at this spot had five little ones in the summer so I will be hoping for similar, great results this year.

This pair was the only ones I spotted although I am sure more are out there yet to be found.

One for #ThrowbackThursday and a look forward at creatures to come soon. Taken on Independence Day last year, this little one was part of one of two burrowing owl families at this spot on the Colorado plains.

By this time, the owlets were getting brave and taking short flights away from home. As I sat in my truck watching and photographing them, this little guy (or gal) was testing its wings and actually flew closer to me. Once it landed, I think it was a bit surprised to discover just how far it had flown and how close it had come to me. Its curious and surprised look was so danged cute and amusing!

The burrowing owls will be returning to the plains here soon. I usually see my first of the season around the end of March / beginning of April. Last year was a great year for viewing them with a number of spots providing great photo ops. Hopefully that success can be repeated this year.

A nice looking post here that just so happens to have a pretty good-looking topper on it. 😉 

Taken back at the end of June during a camping trip on Colorado’s northeast plains. As usual, the rest of my crew was sleeping in so I was out and about at sunrise, camera in hand.

On an isolated, dirt country road, I see something on top of one of the fence posts that clearly looked out of place. Getting closer, this beautiful burrowing owl was taking a break from the family and enjoying the warm morning.

Despite its wide eyes, you notice it is standing on one foot, as raptors often do when relaxed. Clearly it wasn’t too concerned about me.