We have burrowing owls over in the Cape n there are folks rescuing them because of the rain event we just went thru so they won’t drown. My rain gauge had 11+” in 48 hours but I don’t know how much rain they had just west of me but it was quite a lot.

We get our share of torrential rains out here too. However, I don't think our rainy season coincides with nesting season.

I ❤ owls. They're so good at looking both cute and fierce at the same time, a combination I find irresistible, and these are very nice shots.

That is a perfect description of them.

You do amazing work!

Thanks for sharing them with all of your lucky fans!

I love them too. It's been a good season for owl watching this year.

I can appreciate the work, travel and planning involved in getting these.



Would you consider cross-posting this wonderful collection in the Birders forum?

This was about a four hour drive in 105° heat. It wasn't easy.

I'll be glad to cross post it.

Thanks so much for sharing them with us!

I think everyone loves thess little critters.

Great pictures of the amazing critters.

Do they let you get very close? I wonder how they live in such an arid environment. …. Fascinating creatures.

You can tell by the photos that they never took their eyes off us, but in many of these photos we were only about fifty yards away. We shot most of them from across a road or drainage ditch. They have a particular warning call that they make to alert each other and their offspring to get back in the burrow.

The Sonny Bono Wildlife Refuge is in Imperial County, California, along the southern edge of the Salton Sea. It's in a heavy agricultural area that is criss-crossed by open irrigation ditches. All of these birds were burrowing alongside those ditches.

That last one is really interesting! It almost looks like a one-eyed owl.