It isn’t really lipstick of course but that’s exactly what I think of when I look at my photos of this little owl.
1/4000, f/5.6, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
I always think of some little girl who got into her mother’s makeup and smeared lipstick on her face. In reality of course it’s blood, probably from a vole that had been part of the owl’s breakfast that morning.
In my experience these little owls are usually more fastidious than this and keep their beak and face pretty clean but this one didn’t seem to care about appearances.
1/5000, f/5.6, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in
I photographed it hunting from 3 different fence post perches and its beak was bloody the entire time.
1/5000, f/6.3, ISO 640, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in
I never did see the owl attempt to clean itself up during the entire 14 minutes I spent with it. Instead it was concentrating on the grasses near the various perches as it searched for more voles. I suspect it may have had a burrow full of hungry chicks somewhere that needed to be fed.
1/4000, f/5.6, ISO 400, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in
But I never did see it catch a vole so it must have been more concerned about filling its belly and/or feeding its offspring than it was about appearances.
I came across these 2-year-old photos last night as I was reviewing my archives for Burrowing Owls because of a growing concern I have. In the past 10 years or so this species has been relatively easy for me to find in my various bird-haunts but this year has been different. And disturbing. I’ve found very, very few of them and I don’t believe I’ve photographed any of them yet during this breeding season.
I have to wonder what’s going on…
Ron
Great informative photographs! Once again :). This is sad news that you haven’t seen any families of these owls. I do hope you end up finding some this year.
Hi, from the San Francisco Bay Area, due to many problems in terms of habitat and predation, in Santa Clara County we are down from 250 breeding locations in the 1970s to just 4 (or 3) remaining with successfully breeding Burrowing Owls. In one study site, the breeding numbers were improved from 2 pairs to 8 pairs, by management of the grasses and weeds, which are being kept low once the owls seem to be incubating eggs in the burrow. In some Canadian studies, where Burrowing Owls are in decline, the biologists are trying supplemental feeding and over wintering the owls, which involves holding the fledglings back from migration, pairing them up for breeding in the spring, and improving breeding numbers that way, as well as working hand in hand with local landowners to manage their grazing animals in a manner more beneficial to the owls.
They are endangered here across the prairie provinces, partially due to low productivity, poisoning when they eat something that has been poisoned in the burrows they find and loss of habitat. Population going down yearly by 22%.
You have just made a fortune, Ron. Quickly, trademark the name of that lipstick color. Vole Blood. It will be bigger than the Beatles.
Patty came up with it and she probably won’t give me a cut… 🙂
Grub is more important than grubby. Particularly if there are youngsters to feed.
Like everyone else I really, really hope their absence is a temporary glitch.
“Grub is more important than grubby”
How do you come up with those, EC! 🙂
They are harder to find. I found only 2 burrows today in an area I usually find 5 or 6 burrows. I did see over a dozen short-eared owls today and many Swainson’s hawks and one ferruginous. I thought maybe I would run into you a Mia this morning. The light was nice and the morning mist in the fields was lovely.
April, we thought it would be poor light this morning so we stayed home. Sounds like we guessed wrong again…
Ron,
Agreed. I’ve only seen two at quite a distance on Antelope Island.
Hope you are feeling better.
Best,
Stephen
Stephen, they’re scarce on the island and in other areas where I typically find them in good numbers this time of year.
This is scary…can’t stand to think of thdm being on decline…hope it is justva trmporary blip…
Maybe they’ve all moved to New Mexico? I see them quite often in old prairie dog towns.
I hope they’re safe somewhere…
I have only seen one this year. It is very disturbing.
My track record with them this year isn’t much better than yours, Suzanne.
You think that owl looks like it got into somebody’s lipstick, but it was really blood–funny. Sometimes, when I see a woman wearing too much lipstick, I think it looks like she’s been drinking blood! (I think the shade that owl is wearing is called “DEAD VOLE”…don’t know who makes it…never wear it myself)… Hope epidural has kicked in and giving you relief…
Ha, I don’t think any makeup company will ever offer you a job naming their products, Patty!
Superb photographs, Ron! That little owl reminds me of my childhood. My Mom was always telling me to wipe my mouth at dinner. I would reply: “But why? I’m just going to mess it up again.” About that time, Dad would put down his knife and fork and give me “the look”. I wiped my mouth. And shut up.
I took part in a five year Breeding Bird Atlas for Florida recently and the Burrowing Owl continues to be a species of special concern in the Sunshine State. My little slice of the center part of the state actually produced encouraging data. Unfortunately, I have learned that, sadly, I cannot report my sightings publicly of these wonderful birds any more. Through eBird reporting or posting photos on my blog (or social media in the past which I have now abandoned), the vultures of the photography world overwhelm an area with no regard for the owls or private property.
I’ll silently keep monitoring them, but will only report the data through restricted channels.
I remember “the look” very well, Wally. My parents each had their own version of it but it was very effective from both of them.
One of the best pieces of advice I received during my teaching methodology course was to come up with a “the look” and master it. The prof (who taught summer school in South Central LA just to keep his hand in the K-12 world) even had us get into small groups and try ours out. In my heyday, I could freeze a kid from behind and across the room. Ahhhh…memories. 😉
Memorial Day greetings Ron. Really cute bird even with the blood. Nice photos as always. Rest that back.
Everett Sanborn
Prescott AZ
Thank you, Everett.
In the last shot, this Owl looks as if it’s waving goodbye to you… I’m thinking that someone must have been very hungry if the Owl didn’t take time to clean up. It seems to me that any raptor usually cleans itself up immediately after eating. Were voles in somewhat short supply that year? I am disturbed to know that Burrowing Owls seem to be scarce this year.
“Were voles in somewhat short supply that year?”
It’s hard to know for sure, Susan. Usually I only notice a trend like that over a period of more than one year. Voles are extremely secretive so it’s difficult to accurately assess their relative numbers over time.
Maybe it was conserving energy — waiting until it was all done getting dirty before taking a bath. You’ve certainly captured the intensity of the hunter in these shots, Ron. Hopefully, as others have said, this was just an off year for these guys. Perhaps there’s been a dip in the vole population and the Owls have gone elsewhere to find a better smorgasbord.
Glad to hear you’re starting to get some relief — and some rest.
There’s all kinds of possible explanations, Marty – some ominous for the owls and others not so much. I hope it’s something relatively benign.
Sad news about the Burrowing Owl population in your area. I hope they stage a comeback. They are a very vulnerable species. Hope your back continues to improve. It took about 5 weeks of gradual improveent for my back to have complete, 100% relief after my epidural. It has been almost 2 years and no more pain! I hope you are as fortunate.
Thanks, Melanie. What you said about your experience gives me hope.
Lipstick or nail polish! Getting grub was probably the priority at the moment as you mentioned! Hopefully it’s just one “off” year…… Beautiful shots, Ron. Hope you have a pleasant Memorial Day……………
“Hopefully it’s just one “off” year”
Given what I’ve seen and haven’t seen that’s the best potential explanation, Judy. I sure hope it isn’t something more ominous.
Just LOVE these owl clowns and your photos catch them with all their quirkiness!! My favorite is the last one although each is special!! I’ve yet to see them in the wild & hope to some day. I know there is a nest area across the state from me in Coral Springs, FL so there is hope!! I hated to hear that there are very few in your area this year – that is SO disheartening. I sure hope it’s just an off year for them for some reason. How are you feeling, Ron? Did the epidural help your back & has the crude you were dealing with cleared up?!! Sure hope so. I was just watching the Cornell’s Red-tail Hawk cam & it keeps reinforcing my love of birds, especially our Raptors!! Such an amazing feeling to watch the parents build or refresh their nest, lay their eggs & watch the beautiful sight of watching the whole cycle of a new life begin & finally fledge. LOL – forgive me for going off topic – still picturing the 3 RTH chicks gobbling their brkt from “Big Red”!
Thanks, Jo Ann. Some of my symptoms improved and I’m getting more sleep so at least there’s been some progress.