Owled Again~

On By cindy knokeIn Birds, Conservation, MY PHOTOGRAPHS

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Burrowing Owl populations in San Diego County have been sharply depleted by extensive development and are at risk for local extinction.
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In San Diego they are a protected species under the Multi-Species Protection Act, and are protected by state and federal wildlife agencies.
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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.
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In the wild Burrowing Owls live mostly in squirrel and gopher burrows, often sharing space with their furry room mates.
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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.
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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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279 thoughts on “Owled Again~”

  2. I wouldn’t mind being owled every day! 🙂
    There is one here that comes visiting my little jungle, mostly in winter – of course in the middle of the night, probably looking for some mice… his call tells me it is a wood owl/tawny owl but as it would probably be gone if I tried to open the window and try to see it in the dark, I just enjoy his eery call 🙂
    Lovely photos!

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    1. I love listening to them call at night! I am glad you get to experience this. It creates the most wonderful, peaceful feeling. We have Great Horned Owls that do this almost every night. Thank you for caring about the 🦉🦉🦉!

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        1. Usually they take over abandoned burrows and I don’t know how it works if there are squirrel babies in an occupied burrow. Maybe someone will read this and tell us……

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  9. Seeing a Burrowing Owl is on my life to-do list! I think they are the cutest things. Thanks for sharing your photos of these beauties and letting us know where we can see them in person, Cindy! ❤️

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    1. Unbelieveable! Eight chicks. You can see how utterly beguiling they are and then imagine basically wiping them out in San Diego. Thank you for sending this to me. I am sending it on. I am always over at Cornell’s lab page identifying birds, as I can tell, are you! <3 This made me smile! Thank you Debbie~

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  17. Thank you for this post and the amazing pictures, as always. You are an amazing photographer that captures the very essence of the subjects you choose. Such a blessing you are in the world to record the life of such amazing beings.

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  20. More owls?? Cindy, what a fabulous treat — thank you! These darling little burrowing owls are just as cute as can be. I think I’d like to have one! I’m sure they’re far too rare to be considered pets (and I can just imagine what Dallas would do with one), but oh, they’re precious!!

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    1. They are inquisitive and clever and interesting in us. They watch us if we are still. I don’t want to imagine our world without them. Thank you for appreciating the 🦉🦉 Debbie!

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  28. This is such an amazing post. I love this owl, and that it shares living space.
    I am so saddened every time I hear an animal is endangered. How hypocritical & sickenly ironic that man protects that which he has helped destroy.
    Sigh!
    Cindy, I found a gorgeous Owl Mural in Winnipeg. I’m not sure when I will post it, but when I do, may I link to this post & thank you when I do? I believe it will be a great teaching moment. _Resa xo

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    1. I would be most honored Resa and I am so looking forward to seeing the mural! We were at the Salton Sea yesterday and watched owls all afternoon. I so agree with you, having to protect species that we drive the drink of extinction says a lot about our species and it very sad! <3

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      1. Yay!
        I think we have a teaching moment… of of sorts here. I will do the Owl post In March with the link to your Owl post.
        I am doing Kids’ month again this year, for all of March.
        I will have kid friendly murals & street art, poets are dedicating some poetry to go with the art, I’ll do at least 1 book review of a youth book, Gigi did 3 Chicklets posts for me and I will feature several prominent Children’s Charities on my Sidebar for the month.
        I’m so excited!!!

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  30. That is amazing that gophers and squirrels share burrows with them. Maybe not when babies are small? I really think animals are evolving as fast as we are devolving. On cold night we had a pair of small red foxes, along with a pair of mediums sized raccoons, and a pair of possums and a pair of armadillos all eating peaceably close together under our bird feeders. And a friend posted a photo last week of a hawk and a male cardinal on the same branch in a tree outsider her house. A shame we don’t seem able to share as well as wild animals.

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    1. “I really think animals are evolving as fast as we are devolving.” I couldn’t possibly agree with you more. We are devolving moving to a more primitive, base state. Animals have so much to teach us, but too many of us aren’t listening and don’t care.
      Science is finally starting to catch up by studying animal intelligence. Rats are compassionate, ravens have a sense of personal consciousness, animals have been documented grieving, having funerals, helping other species that in trouble. Maybe we never really wanted to know all this because maybe we suspect animals are nicer than we are. They don’t have wars, genocides, bombs. They don’t pollute the planet, drive species to extinction. They don’t amass wealth, withdraw health insurance.
      You really got me going here didn’t you? Obviously what you say resonates with me.
      Thank you.

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  31. I find your blogs so interesting. What you are doing is so thankful. The pictures tell all. You are a great humanitarion! I have nominated you for the “Blogger Recognition Award”. You have an outstanding blog. Your pictures are at times breathtaking! 💖 I hope you will accept the award. You need to go to my blog for details. simplysplendidfood.com. Thank you for having a great blog!

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    1. Your kind thoughtfulness touched my heart. Thank you for such lovely thoughts and for your much appreciated support. Unfortunately I am an award free blog but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate your generous consideration. Thank you my friend and cheers to you! <3 <3

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    1. They are extremely elusive in my neck of the woods too. Seeing one is always cause for celebration, although I do hear them almost every night. Thank you for supporting the 🦉🦉 my friend & cheers to you!

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  34. Owl be darned. Fascinating. I was in a condo complex the other day and a coyote was sauntering down the street mid-afternoon. It’s like post-apocalypse only the day before, not the day after.

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    1. Coyotes are getting very bold. He was probably looking for a small dog or cat to eat, so hopefully your neighbors keep a careful eye out on their pets. We have three packs of them at The Holler. They tend to come closest when they are very hungry!

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  35. Great shots Cindy. I’m in awe of owls. There’s one who lives just outside our dining room window. I hear it at night and in early morning, but have never seen it. Don’t know what kind it is.

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  43. Beautiful shots, Cindy! The owl is the mascot at my daughter’s college (Warren Wilson), and it makes for a regal logo. Also, there’s a place similar here in Charlotte, where owls and other raptors are rehabilitated and housed if they cannot be released into the wild.

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    1. I am so impressed with people who donate their time for the greater good, wild life rescue people are such. So glad to hear about the facility in Charlotte. My husband was a prof at UNC so you were neighbors! Cheers to you Eli & thank you for appreciating the wise little 🦉🦉!

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        1. Laughing…..My son in law went to KU and I happily told some people I met who were Kansas State alumni, and they completely snubbed me. I guess the two schools dislike each other. These people were my age for heavens sake!

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  48. Amazing pics, Cindy… this little owl is very like our NZ owl called a morepork… we watch them diving for moths in the light of a search light and calling to each other, sounding like the words ‘ more pork’

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  49. Hi Cindy, I really love owls. We used to have some in our neigbourhood, but sadly we don’t see them anymore due to people using rat poison on vermin. However, there is a campaign of awareness to try and bring them back. Thanks for sharing your lovely pictures! 🙂

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