Wednesday 13 June 2012

Western Road Trip Part 9 (Burrowing owl)


Burrowing owl

Large tracts of farmland in southern Saskatchewan were still underwater after a very wet winter. The wood ticks were everywhere, especially during the moist and humid weather typical of mid to late May.
I had heard that an owl had been seen sitting on a fence post at a nearby farm. What type of owl no one knew but it had been seen earlier in the day.
After walking the field and stumbling on what appeared to be a badgers den, a sudden flash off wings announced the presence of a Burrowing owl. I backed off and sat quietly about a 150 feet away from the burrow. Thirty mosquito bites later the bird returned. It sat on a post glaring at me before flying back to the vicinity of the burrow where I managed 4 flight shots, three of which were slightly out of focus and this one "keeper"
Although protected here in Canada the birds are subjected to numerous hazards during migration and on its wintering grounds where DDT spraying is commonplace.
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Burrowing owl 


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