In case you thought yawning is contagious only in humans.
- I’ve posted most of these photos (or others like them) before, way back in 2013, but at least some of them should be new to most of my current blog followers. Even if you’ve seen some them before I think they deserve another look.
1/800, f/9, ISO 400, Canon 40D, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
These recently fledged Burrowing Owls were some of the first young owls of any species I ever photographed up close. In the summer of 2009 their burrow was along the narrow Antelope Island causeway so they were highly acclimated to vehicles. I spent multiple mornings with them in mid-July so they soon saw my pickup as just part of the landscape and I was able to photograph their natural behaviors almost at will.
If I remember correctly there were five or six siblings in the burrow but these two seemed to have an unusually strong bond. On this particular morning, while some of the siblings were out exploring the area close to their burrow, these two spent much of their time huddled close to each other as they watched me and listened curiously to the clicking sounds from my shutter coming from inside my pickup. But it didn’t take them long to become bored by it all.
Suddenly the youngster on the right was overcome by an overwhelming urge to yawn and ‘he’ really got into it.
1/800, f/9, ISO 400, Canon 40D, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
Naturally that meant that I fired a burst of photos which made more clicking sounds so the owl on the left began to parallax the source of the clicking. The yawn was a long, drawn-out affair and of course the owl on the left was fully aware of what its sibling was doing.
1/640, f/9, ISO 400, Canon 40D, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
So that owl had to yawn too. Knowing how contagious yawns are in humans it literally made me laugh out loud, resulting in several blurry photos at these slow shutter speeds. Thankfully this one was sharp.
.
1/640, f/9, ISO 400, Canon 40D, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
And then the youngster that caught the ‘yawning bug’ reached over and seemed to thank its sibling for the inspiration by nibbling on its cheek.
1/800, f/9, ISO 400, Canon 40D, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
Then both owls returned to their previous routine of watching and listening to me before at least one of them appeared to drift off to sleep.
In the summer of 2009 there were at least three active Burrowing Owl burrows along the causeway – this one fairly close to the entrance station on the east end of the causeway and the others much closer to the island itself.
I long for the ‘good old days’ on the island and causeway. It ain’t like it used to be…
Ron
David Bowie attributed his success to his anisocoria.
I did not know that owls had eyelashes.
Love it!!
These guys are SO cute!!
These are classics. I do hope your have an opportunity to see and photograph some more.
Is it just me, or do their heads look almost furry?
I find it fascinating that, because of the play of light and shadow on their faces, you were able to capture the anisocoria in their eyes (as if onomatopoeia wasn’t obscure enough), especially in the last photo of the owlet on the left.
I feel a yawn coming on.
“you were able to capture the anisocoria in their eyes”
Yup, you did it Lyle – you sent me to the online dictionary again!
I am (of course) yawning and delighted here too. While being simultaneously infuriated. There IS no Planet B, and I mourn for what we have lost and continue to lose.
Thanks, EC. It’s nuts isn’t it.
Absolutely adorable! And yes, I’m now yawning. Should I nibble on your cheek or the owls’?
Marty, at my age I’d always enjoy cheek nibbles.
Superb photography never gets old, especially when it in involves Burrowing Owls!
Thank you, Wally
I absolutely love burrowing owls! And these two are definitely a hoot! Wonderful story in pictures! And I did yawn.
Thanks, Beth. I hope your yawn was refreshing… 🙂
These are adorable! Sadly it will not be the same.
Nope, not ever again.
Such funny poses!! Laughing & laughing & laughing!!
🙂
The power of suggestion … I yawned, too (while laughing, of course)! The expressiveness of Burrowing Owls is, I think, unmatched in the avian world. What adorable creatures, so happy you dug these images out of your archive.
Chris, looking back at these photos made me wonder if I was inspired to yawn while I was taking them. Probably not, I was too amused and excited to yawn.
Delightful, lovely photos of one of my favorite owls! I will look back at these cuties whenever I need a pick-me-up! I can only imagine how much fun it was to photograph these burrowing owls. Burrowing owls are struggling with many threats, including habitat loss.
“I can only imagine how much fun it was to photograph these burrowing owls”
Melanie, it was so much fun I made repeated trips to the island specifically to photograph them.
I have vowed to find something positive and enjoyable to appreciate each day. Thanks, Ron, for providing my first laugh-out-loud chuckle of the day.
Delighted to help you meet your goal, Linda!
Cute, adorable, sweet, fun, priceless – ditto to all the adjectives already used. What a fun series and obviously fun for the photographer. A couple of these really are priceless. Great way to start a Labor Day Monday morning.
Thank you, Everett.
Thanks so much for these wonderful photos and the sweet laughs they’ve
brought me at 7 am, no less ! We can use all the laughter and memories
of our beautiful world as it was–and still IS , in many ways–that you can bring to us.
I’m glad you enjoyed them, Kris. Thanks.
Young owls are SO much fun!
68/smoke/wind this morning – UGH!
“Ugh” indeed. So far our smoke doesn’t look too bad this morning but it’s still pretty dark out there.
Cute, adorable, sweet. Great photos I could see many times over and still enjoy. And an interesting story about yawning. But the good times being gone? Yeah, sadly, for all us creatures, great and small, permanently.
Pat, I’ve got to get over yearning so much for the good old days. I’m glad I have those memories and the photos but they make it hard to not be almost consumed by how much damage we’ve done to our earthly home, the only one we have.
Wonderful morning smiling here. Thank you, Ron!
Thanks, Mary.
Good. Thanks, Mary.
Priceless.
Thank you, Suzanne.