Burrowing Owl populations in San Diego County have been sharply depleted by extensive development and are at risk for local extinction.
In San Diego they are a protected species under the Multi-Species Protection Act, and are protected by state and federal wildlife agencies.
The Living Coast Discovery Center in The San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge is breeding these remarkable little owls and visitors can get up close and personal with these very curious creatures which is an incredible experience.
In the wild Burrowing Owls live mostly in squirrel and gopher burrows, often sharing space with their furry room mates.
The most reliable place to view Borrowing Owls in the wild in Southern California is at The Sony Bono Nature Preserve at The Salton Sea.
Artificial burrows have been set up here where you can watch the owls and their nests in the wild which is quite fascinating!
Cheers to you from the curious and way too cute Burrowing Owls~
For More Information on the depletion of Burrowing Owls in San Diego County see:
Click to access Burrowing%20Owl.pdf
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Love the close ups of this sweet little owl. We have them here, living in the prairie dog burrows. Never get to see the up close like this, though.
They used to be fairly wide spread in San Diego County, but no more. There are only a few isolated pockets of them. You are lucky to have them thriving near you. I would be out in that field! Wish I could be~ 🦉🦉
What beautiful creatures. I hope more is done to save them. They are gorgeous!! These photos are OWL-Standing!!
Owl Jolson
https://youtu.be/ytR7-wT0Qqw
The 🦉 🦉and I love 🦉 Jolson! <3
Those photos are phenomenal! Those owls are so cute and we just keep tearing things down for our own selfish reasons. I’m glad someone is trying to take care of them.
If there weren’t dedicated people looking out for them, they would be extinct now in San Diego. As it is, they are close to it~
😉
Cindy I always enjoy out photos.. the owls.. they are so precious.. they look soft and cuddly, but…. I think… I’ll enjoy from a distance… thanks always for the great pictures and sharing you do
The ones at the center were super curious and tame. They watch you with their 🦉 eyes, turning their heads around to follow you as you leave. So cute! 🦉
Amazing shots,Cindy !
the best that I’ve ever seen !!!
Awww, I am honored. Thank you very much~ <3 🦉
A beautiful bird! And credit to the photos!
The 🦉🦉 think you have very good taste! I think you are very kind. Thank you~
Owls 😘 aww you’re welcome 🙏🏻
<3 🦉
Awww
I try not to say cute about wild animals, but with these guys it was entirely impossible! They are so dang cute! 🦉
Such beautiful animals. Hard to spot in trees though. And they do have a wise look
Usually when I see them, they are flying away from me! Laughing~ 🦉
Oh here comes that Cindy.lol At least your lucky enough to see them. I have never seen one in the wild
<3
You’ve captured them beautifully in all their splendor, Cindy! I didn’t know they shared a burrow with squirrels. That’s fascinating. I hope the breeding program is a success.
I hope so too. I used to see them when I was a kid, but now I only see them at The Salton Sea, and rarely there~ 🦉
Blogs like yours help bring attention to their plight. Thank you for that, and for your always-stunning photos.
Aww, thank you for such kind words~ <3
🙂
Whooooo can argue with this wisdom and beauty? ….. love it Cindy ❤
Certainly you and I would never disagree with the wise old 🦉🦉!
They do look wise, Cindy.
Leslie
We can understand how they got that appellation! 🦉
For sure!
I used to have a nest of them in my yard when I lived in Nevada. So cute to watch a group of youngsters hanging outside the burrow.
Oh, I am jealous! That would be so awesome~
How wonderful to get so close. Owls have the most amazing eyes and the detail of the feathers is fantastic. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you more for appreciating our feathered 🦉 friends!
That is fascinating that they also live live in the burrow with squirrels or gophers. I thought they are hunted by Owls. I see the one in the picture has straps on the legs. Is that one kept as pet?
Bigger owls hunt squirrels and gophers. These are small little guys, they could eat babies, but they eat mice, bugs, lizards, little things. The guy with the straps isn’t a pet, but he’s being raised and bred in The Living Coast Discovery Center which is a conservation center.
May I steal the fist picture for my screen saver, please? I love owls.
Of course you can and I am happy to think of this! <3 🦉
Thank you for that fine example of what God created exceeding anything we make.
You are so right! It is just up to not kill all of them. 🦉
Wonderful to see these photos. What a ‘owling shame these little creatures are losing their natural habitat. Silly pun, sorry, but I am very serious about the shame bit.
Yes, I know you are serious, as am I. We were surrounded on this planet with delightful creatures that we are destroying one after another. 🦉
Fascinating! Beautiful birds.
I wish the photos could show how small they are. These are very little beautiful birdies~ 🦉
🙂
I haven’t seen owls this close! The clarity is incredible. So sad to hear there are only a few there… Amazing images!!
Awww, the 🦉🦉 and I are grateful that you care about them~ <3
I just love owls!!! You are sooo lucky Cindy ))
I love wild creatures great and small. The 🦉🦉 and are grateful for your love. They need it~ <3
Great pictures of those beautiful birds. So sad that so many animals are under stress because of our elopement.
It is and there is no going back for the species we are destroying~ 🦉
Great photos, Cindy. I saw some captives once in a FL reserve, of all places. You’re right, they are the cutest owls!
They are doing better in other parts of the country apparently, although they are diminishing everywhere. There are just incredibly cute critters~ 🦉
I first heard of these in a Carl Hiassen book. Apparently they used to be all over Florida as well. You provided the first,photos I’ve seen of them. I think the book was called Hoot.
Oh my gosh, I will look it up. I know Hiassen but not that book .Thanks for the lead~
It’s one of his young adult/kid books; Flush is another….
Thanks for the heads up~
Amazing!
They are 🦉mazing!
Whooooo…, Whooo ‘s being owlish again ??? Sad that their habitat is being threatened by humans…, when something is threatened, it’s almost always by humans. Most people today have no concept of what their destructive behavior is costing life and the environment around them.
Yeah !!! This is one of my favorite rants…,and I’m proud of it !!!!!!! 🙂
We can remember what natural spaces used to be like when we were young and what they are like now. I remember a bear count of 150 in Yellowstone when I was a kid including so many grizzly. Now seeing a grizzly is close to a religious experience. Rant on. You have my full support~
The older I get, the more I like owls. They’re so interesting and beautiful. Thanks for the lovely photos, Cindy. It’s nice to know that the Burrowing Owls are protected. What wonderful creatures 🙂
They are industrious, resourceful, curious, truly marvelous. They are interesting and beautiful and I fully understand how wild creatures become more interesting as we get older. We have more time to contemplate them.
And there you go again with your mojo, posting the best birdy photos! 🙂 <3
Laughing, my birdie mojo! Hugs to you Natalie~ 🐦<3
I wish I had your birdie mojo‼️Hugs to you too sweet Cindy❣️😘
And to you Natalie, you are a 💡 in so many lives~
Sweetness are you dear Cindy❣️😘
Visa versa 2UX2!
Lovely photos – they are sooo cute!
Alison
The 🦉🦉 think you have excellent taste! 😉
Love these photos. Beautiful Cindy. Blessings and peace!
Visa versa 2UX2! 🦉
They are so beautiful! Your pictures are amazing!
Your kindness is so very appreciated! 🦉
They are cute little creatures and is nice to be able to see their details so close. Great photos, again.
Thank you Joyce & Happy Sunday my friend~ <3
You too, and a good week ahead. 🙂
<3
These guys look healthy and well-cared for (they resembled high-end plushies to me)! Bright-eyes and beautiful markings. Nice to see that they’re doing a great job there in San Diego. And thank you as always, Cindy, for the information about their status!
They do look like living plushies! Cheers to you Lynn and hope all is well with you! 🦉<3
What fascinating but beautiful little bundles they are Cindy. Until now I’ve never heard of a ground dwelling/burrowing owl.
xxx Huge Hugs xxx
I am honored to introduce them to you! Have a wonderful Sunday David~ 🦉
Reblogged this on Voices and Visions.
Your consistent advocacy is so appreciated Sharon. Thank you!
I love owls. But I am not alone. Something to do with their forward pointing eyes apparently. You have captured them beautifully Cindy, especially the details of their feathers.
They are mysterious, active while we are sleeping, they see what we cannot. So happy you like them & thank you~ 🦉
Such amazing creatures! I love owls 😉🦉
I love you for it! <3 🦉
How absolutely wonderful.
Tiny little adorable predators, as long as you are not a mouse! 🦉🦉
Such completely wonderful photos. 🙂 You might be interested in christophermartinphotography.com. He’s been doing some pretty fantastic pictures of owls lately – he lives in the Rocky Mountain foothills of Alberta.
I will check him out. Thanks for the tip. He lives in bird heaven in Alberta! Canada is an unfair advantage for photographers which is one of the reasons I love it so! <3
A brilliant and heartening story, Cindy – thanks so much for highlighting the fantastic work of this centre. X
Thank you for supporting it my friend & cheers to you~ 🦉
Never knew about these guys, they are wonderful. I’m glad they have people on their side now.
Hopefully it will be enough to save them! 🦉
Gorgeous!
The 🦉🦉🦉 agree with you! 😉
So lovely and so beautiful photographs… They are like cats 🙂 I love them too. Thank you, Love, nia
They both have big watchful eyes! 🦉
Super schön. Kanincheneulen gibt es leider bei uns nicht.
Danke schoen mein lieber Freund! 🦉 <3
I think all kinds of owls are magnificent creatures Cindy, but sharing your living space with another that you would expect them to eat is really something. We might learn something from that!
There is so much we can learn from animals. I am more and more aware of this everyday! Thanks for noticing~ 🦉
So proud 😀 <3
Sweetheart! Cheers to you~ <3 🦉
Adorable. Such beautiful markings.
I love owls, and we had a family of tawnies visit the garden in the evenings in the cottage. We hear a couple across the river, but so far haven’t seen any flying yet to work out what they are. Probably barn owls. There are of course a lot of owls on the boats here, we have one called Fred, but they are plastic and are supposed to deter birds from landing/nesting/pooing on the roof. Fred may be taking early retirement!
Yes. Owls are a joy to live with. We have Great Horned Owls on the roof each night and I join their duets. It is a strange sensation knowing they can see you perfectly in the dark when you can’t see them. Sometimes they silently swoop close to my head but they have never harmed me. I love them too~ 🦉🦉
I love these cute little guys!!
Your photos are superb.
Thanks for bringing these beautiful birds to my day😊
Thank you more for appreciating the 🦉🦉🦉!
Great pics – you wouldn’t want to be their prey, would you?
No. I am not representing the mouse’s point of view which must be utterly terrifying. They are silent fliers!
So amazing photos!
So kind of you and so appreciated too! 🦉
El mochuelo tiene cara inteligente. Me encanta la expresión de su mirada! Hay que protegerlos del mundo hostil. Un abrazo Cindy <3
Gracias por preocuparse por los buhos. Ojala nuestro mundo fuera un lugar mas amable. Abrazos a ti! <3 🦉