Burrowing Owls and prairie flowers – a sure sign of spring.
1/5000, f/6.3, ISO 500, 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 photographed this little Burrowing Owl amongst the flowers (redstem filaree) on Antelope Island almost exactly three years ago. Most of the time “he” was hunkered down in a howling wind but in this shot I caught him standing more erect. At the time I estimated that the wind was gusting to about 40 mph (being from northwest Montana I’m pretty good at estimating wind speed) so I was lucky to catch him standing tall for a moment.
I guess I’m feeling a little sorry for myself this morning. All State Parks in Utah (the island is a State Park) are now closed to anyone who doesn’t reside in the same county the park is located in. I live in Salt Lake County but the island is in Davis County so it is now off limits to me for the duration.
And things are likely to get worse before they get better. I’m actually lucky that I can get out to photograph birds at all, at least for the moment. Many of my friends from out of state are more restricted than we are.
But it still made me sad when I ran across this photo last night as a reminder of all I’ll be missing on the island this spring.
We’ll get through this one way or another but it won’t be easy for any of us. Persevere my friends!
Ron
Lovely little owl amongst the wildflowers. I guess your license plates ID the county you’re from, too bad. No such problem here in CA, but pretty much everything wild (and otherwise) is off-limits, so same effect. Truthfully, since the general masses seem unable/unwilling to properly behave, I know we’re better off staying at home in SoCal but, dang, this is a long haul and it ain’t over yet.
If you needed to take a break from posting dailies, I’d understand. And appreciate that your archives are available. Hang in there, Ron.
I love the owl and the flowers. Do you have parks in your region? I understand, our provincial and national Parks are closed and I so loved going on the bus trips last spring and summer. One day at a time.
Thanks, Jane. Yes, the island is a park. As I mentioned it’s closed to me because I don’t live in that county.
An absolutely beautiful picture of one of my favorite birds. The colors of the landscape and flowers really bring out the subtle colors of its plumage.
I’m very sorry for you that you won’t be able to visit the island, but I’ll be watching for anything you post – I’m relatively new to your blog, so nearly everything is new for me. Thanks for all your photos, and stay safe until we all get through this.
Thanks very much, Bill. I appreciate the encouragement.
You’re in for a treat, Bill….👍
I agree Patty. I’ve already been subscribed long enough to know what a pleasure Ron’s pictures and commentary are.
Sorry you are locked down and out. Its almost three weeks for us and I still feel like its unreal. I wake up and start to plan to go to our local wetlands and then I remember that I can’t. Like running into a brick wall.
It’s a rude awakening isn’t it, Dave.
Captivating photo, Ron. I, too, appreciate your daily posts, as I suppose we need them more than usual right now.
Thanks, Lyle. Not sure how long I’ll be able to keep it up.
Sorry, must be SO FRUSTRATING FOR YOU…This is such a beautiful image. Fortunately for us, you have a wealth of earlier images to share and some great repeats…I love seeing them…STAY SAFE, STAY WELL👍🍀🤟❤️
Thanks, Patty. I’m afraid my number of images you haven’t seen is dwindling fairly quickly.
I ALWAYS enjoy “old friends”, repeats of old favorites…you have plenty of those…👍
I ALWAYS enjoy “old friends”, repeats of old favorites…you have plenty of those…👍…and stories about your family, friends and childhood adventures…and misadventures….you have a treasure trove of unteresting stuff…looking forward to more🙂
Oh Ron.
I am so very sorry.
We can still get to ‘some’ of our parks (but by no means all). With a maximum of two people keeping their distance from each other.
Thank you for the beauty and hope contained in this image.
EC, our Governor is really handling this weirdly so counties and cities are setting up their own rules. It’s a confusing mishmash.
Be safe, Ellie Baby👍❤️🍀🤟
Beautiful. and yep. Not much else to say.
Thanks, April. You know the situation around here as well as anyone.
They closed the Buffalo National River to everyone. It was being over run with tourists mainly out of staters. Wish they had done the county thing. Oh well, grateful for my 40 acres and my neighbor that lets me roam his land.
You’re very lucky, Jo.
The sight of a Burrowing Owl always makes me think of Carl Hiassen’s
YA book, “Hoot”, and the kids in it working together to save the habitat
of the colony of burrowing owls in their neighborhood–anybody in your
audience reading together with young folks should look it up– it’s exciting
and entertaining ! Thanks for the beauty this morning– I’LL TAKE IT !
Yup, I’ll take it too. Thanks, Kris.
I just read a beautiful piece on author Parker J. Palmer’s page. The phrase “we must learn to garden in the dark” brought me a lot of joy. Now this owl. Thank you.
Good, glad you had a double shot of joy this morning, Arwen.
“Persevere my friends” is right. Tough times, but as we always have – we will get through it. Pretty photo of the owl in the wildflowers. The weather here in north central Arizona has become very spring like and people are out everywhere at the lakes and trails birding, biking, running, walking, and yes, even photographing. City parks and USFS locations are all minus facilities such as restrooms etc, but wide open and people are out there taking advantage of the nice weather.
Everett, I hope all those people you mention stay an appropriate distance away from each other. Some of my neighbors aren’t doing a very good job of it I’m afraid.
Beautiful Burrowing Owl, Ron. 🙂 Amazing how one learns to gauge the wind! 🙂 On the other hand DAMN! on Park restrictions even with the other being pluses…. Half awake this morning with only reading glasses on a GHO or large hawk cruised by me at eye level after, apparently, a robin. Suspect it was the hawk that’s been hanging around some – all I know is it’s large with broad wings and lighter underside in flight! Good Morning Judy!
Judy, I had something similar happen recently. I was stepping out of my camping trailer parked on my driveway when a Cooper’s Hawk whizzed by at about 900 mph and about 3′ in front of me. I don’t know what it was after but it must have been a small bird of some kind. The unexpected encounter surprised the hell out of us both.
It WAS “I’m awake now!” moment! 🙂
What a lovely little owl! How fortunate you are to live in an area of the country that has burrowing owls. I was fortunate to have a pair of barred owls “talking” just outside my window around 1:00 am this morning. Thrilling! Also, a pair of pileated woodpeckers have apparently chosen the woods around my home as their territory. Our planet and its wildlife are enjoying this break from noise and air pollution. I am so thankful for you and your perseverance, talent and archives! Wish you still had your old tree so the bald eagle could visit your yard.
Melanie, actually this time of year I’m particularly grateful that huge tree is gone. Otherwise I’d have to spend most of a day just getting the fallen twigs and branches off of my lawn before it could be mowed.
Ron. I’d enjoy seeing any of your old pictures.
And do you see any birds near your house?
Any of your posts bring me smiles. Thank you Diana
I don’t see many birds near my home, Diana. And those I do see are mostly House Sparrows and House Finches although there’s a few goldfinches, both species, hanging around right now.
Beautiful photo! I wish I was out there blowing in the wind with that owl!! I am working in the frontlines here (Boston) so, needless to say, these times are hard on my colleagues and I. It is heartening to think about birds and animals of the world having a temporary reduction in stress from our curbed activities. May they flourish!!
“I wish I was out there blowing in the wind with that owl!!”
Boy, so do I. Hang in there, Joanne.
Thanks! Catching your blog is a lovely upbeat thing to do during the day – so thanks for that.
I’ve tried to stay upbeat on my blog but today’s post might be an exception. I’ll try to get back to my old ways.
Oh to be able to turn my head that easily. What a wonderful scene of the owl amidst the Redstem Filaree.
I understand your frustration (beaches and trails are totally closed for us and parks are only open if people keep moving and keep their distance). I’m hoping that less traffic will provide a more peaceful — and productive (or reproductive 😉 ) — breeding season for all the critters.
Thanks Marty.
Yes, there’s a plus side to all the restrictions. Pollution and background noise are both significantly reduced and critters have more opportunities to just be themselves instead of having to constantly dodge humans.
Those pluses are significant. And I do hope that some of them remain after the restrictions are lifted. And here at least we are told that it will be months before they ever consider lifting them.