Juvenile Burrowing Owls – The Clowns Of The Bird World

With the New Year fast approaching I’m feeling more than a little nostalgic about Feathered Photography so today I present a blast from the past. I’ve now been blogging for more than seven years and this post was one of my earliest ventures into the blogosphere (#17 out of 2,118 total posts to date).

Some of these photos remain among my favorites of all time but my blogging “style” back then was decidedly primitive and unrefined so for this version I’ve cleaned up some of the most glaring awkwardness, edited the text and fixed the original distracting formatting. Veteran blog followers will have seen some of these images before. 

 

Of the many bird species I’ve photographed juvenile Burrowing Owls exhibit the most personality by far. Their repertoire of silly antics, goofy poses, stretches, yawns and grooming behaviors are a photographers dream. And once they feel comfortable in your presence they may even allow you to photograph them for long periods without flying off, retreating to their burrow or showing any signs of nervousness. But to gauge that you have to be able to read their behaviors and it almost always requires the use of high-powered lenses so we don’t feel the need to approach them too closely. We should always be extremely careful to avoid disturbing them in any way.

But you have to find them first and that typically isn’t easy.

The antics of juveniles are much more exaggerated than those of adults so all of the images I’ll present here are of young birds. Some of these photos were taken in less than ideal conditions (harsh light, shadows, clutter) but I think they illustrate the goofball personalities of these birds well.

 

Giving the photographer a suspicious look

It’s difficult to resist our anthropomorphic tendencies (ascribing “human” emotion or motivation to non-human species) when it comes to juvenile Burrowing Owls so I won’t even try. Besides, it’s my contention that birds and some other critters have many of the same emotions and feelings we do.

This youngster looks to be highly suspicious or dubious of me, even challenging or angry, but in reality I’m confident it was only curious.

 

 

Wing stretch with leg back or "They went that-a-way!"

With this “they went that-a-way” pose this image always reminds me of a famous Lewis and Clark painting.

 

 

Topsy turvy owl

Juveniles practice their parallax skills often. It involves bobbing, twisting and rotating their heads so their eyes can view an object (in this case me in my pickup) from different positions. This allows them to more accurately determine distance to that object. It’s serious business for owls but to us it can sure look silly. And adorable.

 

 

Reaction to sudden and unexpected rain

One sunny and hot August morning I was photographing a pair of juveniles when a single small cloud passed overhead and it started to rain. The reaction of both birds to the sudden raindrops was absolutely hilarious to watch. The second bird was doing the same thing just out of frame to the left. At first they looked up in seeming surprise as if to say “Whoa, what was that?” Then they spread their wings to apparently enjoy their cool, brief shower.

 

 

Ecstasy

Then both young birds appeared to go into ecstasy over the rain. They crouched down on the perch, spread their wings and tails, lowered their heads, closed their eyes and literally trembled and shook in apparent delight. I’m confident it was just bathing instinct taking over but it sure looked like more than that and it was highly entertaining to watch. I love this look at the long “eyelashes” and white eyelids.

 

 

Grooming poseYou never know what interesting or appealing pose you may catch a Burrowing Owl in while it’s preening (grooming). It typically happens very fast and I often don’t even know what I’ve captured until I get home and review the images. Sometimes there’s a pleasant surprise, as in this photo. Usually both eyes are closed during this maneuver but this time I got lucky.

 

 

One leggged wing stretch

Juveniles do a lot of stretching, some of it quite creative.

 

 

Sibling contrasts

The youngster on the right could barely stay awake. I must have bored him/her but it’s sibling had better tastes in humans and was understandably fascinated by me. 🙂

 

 

It's only a yawn

While this bird may look threatening, even angry, in reality it was simply overcome by a yawn as it was checking me out from close range. This image has some flaws but I’ve always liked it anyway.

 

 

The weirdest pose of all

This photo is obviously not a quality shot because I had very harsh and contrasty light but I decided to include it because this might be the most unusual pose I’ve seen from a Burrowing Owl of any age. The youngster literally sat down on its rump with its tail hanging down behind the perch and parallaxed me for quite a while. Much of its weight is on its butt rather than its legs. The photo makes me smile every time I see it.

 

 

Great pose, different angle

Juvenile Burrowing Owls make wonderful subjects but like all birds they can be frustrating too, especially when they turn their backs on the camera while performing a spectacular pose.

The “end”.

Ron

PS – Merry Christmas to all my readers!

 

 

61 Comments

  1. If you don’t love burrowing owls, well, there’s just something wrong with you-seriously, SERIOUSLY wrong!
    Picking a favorite is impossible, so I won’t, but the third image is so far beyond my capabilities as to be ridiculous. AND being cute as heck while doing it, yeah, no!
    Thank you so very much for all you share with us lowly two-leggeds 😉 Merry Christmas to all who celebrate, but most importantly, a joyous day full of lots of lovely wonderfulnesses to everyone!

  2. Lovely, happy post. Great start of day. I hope everyone has a great Christmas and a very Happy and Peaceful holiday season.

  3. They all put a smile on my face. Merry Christmas to you and your family.

  4. Merry Christmas. Thank you for all of your fun, education, and entertainment. Have a great 2018!

  5. Merry Christmas, professor. I hope 2018 brings you and yours more delight and bright!

  6. Merry Christmas to you Ron! Thanks for all the joy you bring to us every Day/

  7. Ron, these photos tickled the strings of my heart!! I never knew that these juvenile burrowing owls could be so delightful. They certainly seemed to be interested in you and your pickup.

    As far as I’m concerned your reposts are wonderful since I’m a new member of your ‘gang’!!

    Merry Christmas to you and your family and all of your readers.

  8. Merry Christmas, the repeat was a treat. Thank you for sharing your photography and writing witty and informative text. I had a hole in my life after cutting back on wildlife rehab that has been filled with your posts. You encouraged me to purchase a more pro-camera and get out and enjoy birds in their habitat. The stats you post with your photos has helped me immensely in the steep learning curve of negotiation the 7D MII. Thank you again for sharing your interests with all of us. I hope to see you and Mia out and about over the holiday break.

  9. Thank you for the joy and pleasure you give us every day.
    Merry Christmas to you and Mia.

  10. Merry Christmas to you too! Thanks for sharing a wonderful year of your photos – I’m looking forward to your 2018. I love these cute owl photos!! I can’t wait to see them in person some time. Never did see them last year in Florida.

  11. It is Christmas morning here (early) and you have, as usual, given me a superb present. The heart my family told me was butter soft has melted. Again.
    Thank you (and your commentators) so much. You have enriched my world.

  12. Merry Christmas, and thank you!

  13. What an especially delightful way to start my day today! 😀 Happy Christmas to all who are celebrating.

    My big present was having every one of my kitten fosters plus the mom cat adopted and in their “furever” homes as of Friday. Woo Hoo! Now I get to go back to dog fosters for the next several weeks as I rotate through the long-time residents so they can get a few days off from shelter life. Another Woo Hoo! 🙂

  14. Thanks Ron! A great retrospective that had me smiling.

  15. Great shots..what a series. They look so intelligent. Ya gotta love Owls!

  16. Thanks for taking such good care of your readers in sharing so much beauty, wit and intelligence through your blog. Always informative and entertaining, your photos and narrative are the best!
    Merry Christmas and all the best to you and your family.

  17. Ron, thank you for these and the entire blog. I must paint one of these. I discovered your blog when looking for better photos than I took of a Cooper’s Hawk with a struggling pigeon in talons. I painted a scene based on your photo (I hope you don’t mind; I’m not a professional) and gave it to a grand niece. Asked her if she thought we were more pigeon or hawk, then asked her what she had for Thanksgiving dinner. Anyway, she is only 12 and I could give her a painting of one of these juvenile poses to balance her view of predators.

  18. Thank you for sharing your passion and your life with us throughout the year !
    Its always a pleasure to start my day with your photos and thoughts ! Merry Christmas to you and your family !

  19. These photos are simply wonderful! I’m so glad that you repost older blog entries, especially this one. Merry Christmas and thank you for the joy and inspiration.

    • “I’m so glad that you repost older blog entries”

      I’m very happy to hear that, Nancy. Some of my old time followers may tire of seeing them but many newer ones have never seen them so I occasionally do it.

  20. And a very Merry Christmas to you, Ron. I have actually finally seen a Burrowing Owl in person, though from a very great distance. We went with a friend on a field trip she had for her students, to Rio Bosque Wetlands Park (operated by the City of El Paso) and the park manager took us to see one, and showed us where another burrow is that one would be much closer to. The one I saw wasn’t doing much of anything, but I knew from all the photos I’ve seen here how much fun it would be to watch. I find the next to last photo quite intriguing, because the bird has its right foot in a fist. I’ve never seen a bird do that before, or even considered that a bird would make a fist. Thank you for bringing me lots of smiles and chuckles this morning. My two favorites are the “they went that-a-way” shot and the pair of siblings.

    • Big congrats on your Burrowing Owl sighting, Susan!

      Some raptors regularly make that fist – especially Red-tailed Hawks. I’ve also seen kestrels doing it.

  21. THANK YOU FOR THE WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL GIFT!!! Those goofy birds made me laugh, something I thought I’d forgotten how to do…each one was funnier than the last! Loved the “endiing”. Warthogs and Burrowing owls both must exist to lighten our hearts with laughter. Thank you, thank you, thank you….

  22. I LOVE LOVE LOVE STARTING EACH DAY WITH YOUR BLOG ! This one had me laughing out loud with every image— gifts of beauty AND laughter—- a person can’t receive anything better than
    those ! Thank you so much for those treasured gifts every day, and I hope you receive their equal ; you certainly work hard enough to deserve them…….

  23. I thank you for this entertaining post, Ron. I just had to check to see why they are called Burrowing Owls, reason being that I had spotted some larger holes in a clay bank but obviously not homes for these little ones so will keep wondering who made them. I will wish you a very Merry Christmas and all the Feathered Photography followers as well…Hugs to all!

    • Shirley, they’re capable of digging their own burrows but more often they take over burrows of other animals, some larger and some smaller. So you never know about your burrows….

  24. I luv this series of photos!
    Thank you for sharing through out the year.

    Wishing YOU & ALL of Yours A Very Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

  25. Kent Patrick-Riley

    Every one of these brought a smile. Thanks so much for all your sharing of photos and discussions of bird behavior and photography. Your blog is the gift that keeps on giving! Have a wonderful and Pippin Christmas!

  26. Thankyou this is my Christmas present from you !! Thankyou !! And merry merry Christmas to you !!!!

  27. Great shots Ron, I bet these pictures would be great in a comedy series, a TV show, wonderful entertainment. I can picture you having trouble focusing because you are chuckling or laughing so hard at their antics!
    We had snow all day, than rain most of the night until it froze, now we have ice, but today is fine before the next storm hits us and a week of single digit temps. When you are retired with an adequate larder, not having to worry about the weather is a plus!
    Merry Christmas to you and Mia, have a great day by the fire!!

  28. Spectacular series featuring my favorite owls! Since I live about 600 miles from the nearest Burrowing Owl, it’s always a joy to see them on your blog- reminds me of some of the wonderful birding trips I’ve taken to Colorado or southwest Florida to see them. Thanks again, and Merry Christmas!

    • Thank you, Diane. For the last few years I’ve usually had to drive about 90 miles for this species because opportunities with them on Antelope Island lately haven’t appealed to me much. 600 miles would be just a little too far for me, even for Burrowing Owls. 🙂

  29. Such fun! They are all wonderful photo’s capturing behaviors that are neat/amusing. #5 stretching for the rain almost looks like it’s “taking a bow”. Perhaps the dry, dusty conditions of their burrows makes them REALLY appreciate rain? The one sitting on it’s rump reminds me of GHOL’s learning to perch and falling off regularly. 🙂 Thx for sharing and Merry Christmas to you and yours…….

    • I hope you enjoy your white Christmas, Judy. I think you said yesterday that you had about a foot of snow on the ground. Ours is essentially gone but we may get a little more today.

      • We do – much of it is light fluffy stuff BUT! 🙂 Hope more is coming for you…………. Everything needs it.:) The zero temps we could live without….

  30. Thank you Ron, for an entertaining little break on this busy day.
    And merry Christmas to you and your family, And all your readers:-)

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