Burrowing Owl

 The burrowing owl is a small owl that is found in the open fields, prairie grasslands, and desserts of the western half of North America, Mexico, Central America, South America, Florida and the Caribbean. As their name implies they live in under ground burrows. However most burrowing owls do not dig their own burrows, instead they use old burrows dug by ground squirrels, prairie dogs or other mammals. In Idaho where the photo above was taken the burrowing owls typically live in holes that are dug by badgers who are trying to dig out ground squirrels which they eat. The danger is that the badger might return and burrowing owls could be the next item on the menu. The burrowing owls hunt small mammals, such as mice and voles, as well as larger insects, such as grasshoppers.

 In North America the burrowing owl mating season begins at the end of March or beginning of April. The owls are typical monogamous. Unlike most raptors their is very little difference in size between male and female burrowing owls. When she begins to lay eggs the female will lay an egg every day or two. Since ground nesters typically more chicks to predation they often compensate by having larger clutch sizes. The average clutch size of the burrowing owl is 9 eggs only about half of which will survive long enough to leave the burrow. The chicks in the photo above are only days old. You can see that they are covered with down and their eyes have not opened. The shiny spot on the end of their beak is their egg tooth. This is that they used to crack the shell when they were ready to emerge from their eggs. When the chicks get a little older they will hiss when a potential predator tries to invade the den. The hissing sounds similar to a rattle snake and will often make potential predators think twice about continuing.

Their are approximately 22 subspecies of burrowing owls, although their is very little difference between them. In the United States there are only two subspecies, hypugaea (northern burrowing owl) and floridana (Florida burrowing owl). The northern subspecies is found from southwestern Canada down through the western U.S. down into Mexico and Central America. The Florida subspecies is only found in Florida. One of the key differences between the two North America subspecies is that the Florida subspecies typically digs its on burrow. This is because there are not really any mammals in the range of the Florida subspecies that digs burrows that they could use. Fortunately the Florida subspecies live in parts of Florida where the soil is very fine sand. This allows them to use their long legs to kick out the loose sand. The first two photos are examples of the northern subspecies where the last photo is an example of a Florida burrowing owl.

Cape Coral, Fl

Cape Coral is located on the Gulf Coast of Florida along the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River. The city was founded in 1957 as a master planned pre-platted community. It encompasses 120 square miles which makes it one of the largest cities, in area, in the state of Florida. The city also boasts over 400 miles of canals which is more then any other city in the world. Unfortunately the extensive canal system has had a negative affect on the environment and the tides. We found the city interesting and difficult to navigate, with all the canals, but the reason that we stopped in Cape Coral is because it is home to the largest population of Florida burrowing owls in the world.

 There are two subspecies of burrowing owls found in North America, the Florida burrowing owl and western burrowing owl. The western subspecies are more numerous and found through out much of the western half of North America. The Florida burrowing owls are the only burrowing owls that live in the eastern United States. The Florida subspecies also differs because they dig their own burrows unlike the western burrowing owls that use abandon mammal holes. It is estimated that Cape Coral has over 2500 burrows within the city limits. Burrows are marked by signs like the one above and since the birds are a protected species care has to be taken not to disturb them or their burrows. I am guessing that some people might think that it is a pain having burrowing owls in their yard but I know that I would pay extra to buy a house that had burrowing owls nesting in the yard. Maybe some day, like when I retire, but for now we only had spent about half a day and we were lucky and found an active nest that was very close to the road.

Burrowing Owl

 Burrowing owls are a part of of a genus of smaller owls called Athene. The burrowing owl is the only member of the genus that is found in North or South America. They live in open grassland, agricultural fields, and desserts in the western half of North America, Mexico, and parts of Central and South America. They live in underground burrows which they most often commandeer from rodents such as prairie dogs or larger ground squirrels, they will also use holes that are dug by badgers looking for prey. They often collect animal dung which they use to line the entrance to the burrow to help detour predators. They will nest as far north as south central Canada but birds that nest in Canada and the northern U.S. will migrate south for the winter. Most of the other burrowing owls will stay on territory year round.

While most U.S. burrowing owls live in the west there is a subspecies that lives in Florida and the Caribbean. Since their are not any larger digging rodents that live in their range these burrowing owls dig their own burrows. The loose sand found in the area make this possible. The first shot is of a western burrowing owl photographed in Idaho while the second shot is a Florida burrowing owl. Burrowing owls will hunt at any time day or night but they prefer hunting in the morning or evening. They eat a wide variety of prey depending on what is available. They typically eat a lot of large insects, such as grasshoppers, scorpions and beetles, which they catch during the day. At night they usually hunt for rodents such as mice, rats and ground squirrels. They will also eat things like snakes, lizards and small birds. It is often possible to see borrowing owls during the day, often sitting on the ground or a low pole, which makes them easier to photograph. During the middle of the day though they are usually back in their burrows to get out of the midday heat.

Burrowing Owl

 

While many species of owls are nocturnal (active at night) or crepuscular (active at dusk and dawn) there are a few species that are diurnal (active during the day) The burrowing owl is a diurnal owl. They are often active during the day, although they will also hunt at night. They are found in open areas with very few trees through out the western United States, Mexico, and parts of Central and South America. There is also a subspecies of burrowing owls that can be found in South Florida. 

Burrowing owls nest in burrows underground. In most cases they use holes dug by mammals such as prairie dogs. You will often find burrowing owls mixed in with prairie dog colonies. In Idaho, where these pictures were taken the burrowing owls use holes that were dug up by badgers that were looking for ground squirrels to eat. The danger with this is that badgers will also eat burrowing owls if they catch them. If a predator does enter the tunnel that leads to the burrow the chicks will make a hissing sound that sounds like a rattle snake in an attempt to deceive the predator. They will also use man made burrows, as was the case with the chicks in the second photo. These burrows were set up to allow burrowing owls to be studied. The Florida subspecies are the only burrowing owls that regularly dig their own burrows. 

Burrowing Owl Chicks

Burrowing owls

Hey, Hey, It's our B-Earthday!

Four years ago today I began this blog with a post that said:

Welcome to my new Ecobirder Blog

In honor of Earth Day 2007 I have started my first blog. The purpose of this blog will be to share my love of the environment, wildlife, and birding with others who share these interests.

A couple days later I posted my second post which included 3 pictures of a great horned owl nest that I was photographing at Wood Lake Nature Center. I had hoped to put these pics into my first post but I was very new to blogging and was still trying to figure things out. I wanted to start the blog on Earth Day, since the blog has a lot to do with the earth, nature and environment, so I decided to make an announcement post on Earth Day to start the blog and begin posting the pictures when I was ready.

I figured that for this B-Earthday we would invite a bunch of owls back to help us celebrate. I photographed this little eastern screech owl near Minnehaha Creek in south Minneapolis in December of 2009. I heard about the owl of the MOU list serve but it took me several trips before I finally found it out sunning on New Years Eve. I guess that proves what a nerd that I am, celebrating New Years Eve out freezing my butt off taking pics while everyone else is out getting ready to party.
2009 was a pretty good year for taking owls pics. While I was participating in the Redwing Christmas Bird Count in December of 2009 we decided to quit and head back up to the Twin Cities early. We had heard about a long-eared owl that had been spotted in a park in St Paul during the Bloomington count the week before so we decided to see if we could locate it. It took us a while but we did find the owl. Unfortunately dark comes early in December so the picture is not as good as I would have liked but you don't often get to be picky when it comes to owls.

In 2009 we took a side trip to Idaho during our Yellowstone vacation to participate in the first ever Snake River Birds of Prey Festival. Since we did not have much time, Yellowstone was calling, we only signed up for a field trip on borrowing owls. The field trip was great we had owls out in the field to photograph and even got to open up some man made burrows to check out burrowing owl chicks. Definitely one of the highlights of that year.

I have been fortunate over the years to be able to observe several great horned owl nests. A hawks nest that was taken over in Lakeville, MN has been the most productive for getting pics. Great horned owls have produced young in this nest in 2008,2009 and again this year. In 2009 they raised three young that began to branch, walking out on the branches before they can fly, in April.

So far 2011 has been a pretty good year for photographing owls also. Although I have had the opportunity to photograph northern saw-whet owls during the owl programs at Hawk Ridge over the years, I have not had the opportunity to photograph one that was not trapped for banding until this year. Back in February a saw-whet decided to perch, for a couple of days in someones back yard in Bloomington, MN. Fortunately the home owner was a birder and he got the word out about the owl in his back yard. A lot of people showed up over the next couple of days, myself included, to get some great photos

This year I made a couple of trips up to the Sax Zim Bog during the winter, as I do most every year. The first trip was for the first ever Brrrdathon that was held in January. As often happens in January in Minnesota the first day of the Brrrrdathon was complicated by a snow storm that dropped about six inches of snow in the area. Fortunately the next day, Saturday, the weather turned sunny and it was a great day to be about taking pictures of wildlife. Since I was spending one more night in a hotel in Duluth I stayed out in the bog until it got dark. I was rewarded when a pair of great grey owls began to hunt along the road at dusk. Since great grey owls are crepuscular, active at dusk and dawn, they can be tough to photograph.

In comparison northern hawk owls are diurnal so they are active during the day which makes them much easier to photograph. I saw northern hawk owls on both my trips up to the bog, as I have in most every year. I took this pic on my second trip at the beginning of March. This hawk owl seemed to be very used to people so it was not very nervous about my presence. As such I was able to get some really nice pics.

So another year of blogging has come to an end and a new one begins. This is the 1502 post that I have done in the four year. I have managed to post every day for most of the past three years. I really hope that you have enjoyed coming here and have taken something away from my pictures and writings. If I manage to make it another year I will have to do something really special for my 5th B-Earthday. I have updated the slide show on my side bar, the old one was getting a bit tattered and frayed, and I hope that you enjoy it. I hope to see you all here over the next year and invite you to join in the big party one year from today.

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Burrowing Owl Chicks

These pictures were taken back in 2009 at the Snake River Birds of Prey Festival in Idaho. We signed up for a burrowing owl tour that was lead by a Grad student at the University of Idaho that was studying the effects of pesticides on burrowing owls. As part of his project they had set up man made burrows which they opened up on a weekly basis to examine the chicks. On the tour we opened up two of these man made burrows to look at the chicks.

Burrowing Owls

When most people think of owls they usually picture a silent bird floating through the night sky, but not all owls are nocturnal. There are some owls that are active during the day, called diurnal. In Minnesota we have two species of diurnal owls that visit from time to time, the northern hawk owl, that come down from Canada, and the burrowing owl, that are occasionally found in the western parts of the state.
Burrowing owls do not nest in trees as most other owls do but instead nest in under ground burrows such as this. Burrowing owls do not dig their own burrows, except for the small subspecies which lives in Florida, instead they typically use burrows that were created by mammals such as prairie dogs or ground squirrels. This burrow, which I photographed in Idaho, was a hole that was dug by a badger looking for prey.

Burrowing owls begin mating in late spring. After courtship they will begin to lay from 2 to 12 eggs each one day apart. The eggs will be incubated from 28 to 30 days by the female while the male does all of the hunting for the pair. When the eggs hatch the young burrowing owls chicks are covered with white down feathers. Their eyes are still closed and they rely totally on their parents for warmth, food and safety.

As the young owls begin to get their feathers and are able to thermal regulate on their own, usually around two weeks after they hatch, both parents will leave the nest to find food for the hungry youngster. At this time the young owls will often roost near the entrance of the burrowing waiting for the adults to return with food. If a predator enters the burrow the chicks will begin to make a hissing noise that sounds similar to a rattle snake to scare the predator away. After around 45 days the chicks will leave the burrow and begin to forage for food on their own, under their parents supervision.

The young owls will eat mainly insects, which they catch on the ground. Burrows are usually lined with mammal dung which attracts dung beetles which are a good source of food for the young and adults alike. Burrowing owls will eat a variety of prey depending on the habitat in which they are found. Prey includes insects, mainly beetles and grasshoppers, mice, rats, ground squirrels, lizards, reptiles, amphibians and small birds.

Owls of 2009

In 2009 I had a good year for photographing owls. Through out the year I photographed 6 different types of owls, as well as a seventh type at the owl banding at Hawk Ridge. Three of the owls made it into the calendar. The first owl that I photographed in 2009 was this northern hawk owl up at the Sax Zim Bog. Northern hawk owls are great to photograph because they are usually diurnal, active during the day, which makes for better pics. I was also able to photograph a great gray owl on that trip but it was at dusk so I had to turn up the ISO on the camera which made it too grainy to blow up big enough for the calendar.

In late winter and early spring I was fortunate enough to be able to observe and photograph two great horned owl nests. The first one was in an old hawks nest that was located in a field across from a small strip mall. I had watched these owls raise a brood in 2008 and they were back in 2009. I began to watch the nest at the beginning of February, the female was already on the nest incubating her eggs, and visited regularly until the three chicks that they hatched fledged. In early May I learned about the second nest in a local county park. The nest was located in the hollow of a dead tree, which was cool because I had only seen this type of nest from a distance in Yellowstone prior to that. The chicks fledged soon after I found the nest but I was able to get a few good pics before they left including this one that ended up in the calendar.

Burrowing owls can occasionally be found in the western portions of Minnesota but it is infrequent at best. This particular burrowing owl was photographed while on a visit to the Snake River Bird of Prey National Conservation Area in Idaho. We made a quick side trip to Snake River during the Snake River Bird of Prey Festival as part of our Yellowstone vacation. We did not have much time but we did sneak in a field trip where we went to man made burrowing owl dens and got to photograph both chicks and parents.

I also had the opportunity to photograph a eastern screech owl and a long eared owl but it was too late in the year to get them into the calendar.