The Burrowing Owls Take to the Air

Within a short time these owls have mastered flight

Three days after I watched the Burrowing Owls on my Festival field trip, I returned in hopes of seeing those little raptors flying. When I first arrived, the Burrowing Owls were standing around, as Burrowing Owls do. I am certain that the green weeds provided much appreciated relief from the heat. This owlet was holding its wings out to help it cool off but that didn't stop it from trying to get a fix on what my car was doing there.

Shortly, the juvenile Burrowing Owls took to the air. These birds are eight or nine inches long (head to tail) but have a wingspan of up to two feet.

Owls, in general, seem to have expressive faces with their wide-open, forward facing eyes. Burrowing Owls exemplify that trait. I can imagine that this next owl seemed surprised when it got so high in the air. I believe it was saying, "Hey Mom, look at me!"

I am sharing many flight shots of these birds. Each one seems to tell another story of a young bird feeling the freedom of first flight. The background for the photos may include any combination of a dry farm field, a green farm field, the Catalina Mountains, and/or the sky. I never moved from the seat inside my car, but the birds were on the move. Enjoy!

Yet another surprised look from a Burrowing Owl? Same one or a different one? I don't know.

This owl appears very focused and intentional right now.

Gliding down towards a landing spot....

This owl is calling out while it is gliding.

The following image of this owl looks identical to the owl you saw two images before this one. It was shot nine minutes after the earlier photo. I don't know whether this is the same Burrowing Owl or not, but the angle of the glide appears to be identical in both photos. Many of the flights looked alike. I think this was a reflection of so many flights being training flights and most of them along the same route, above and along the irrigation ditch.

At one point two juvenile owls flew at the same time.

This owl flew past the burrow, over the irrigation ditch, and towards a second ditch that was closer to me. There is another burrow there that the family also uses.

The sun was close to setting and the ambient light changed to a warmer color.

Don't I wish there was a Google Translate or Merlin program that could tell me exactly what this young owl was saying!

Juvenile Burrowing Owls begin to fly well at the age of around six weeks. They will then begin practicing foraging and catching live insects. Meanwhile their parents will continue to feed them for approximately another 6 weeks. At this stage the little owls are still not expert flyers and lack the experience to evade predators, so parents continue to keep a close watch on them while their flight skills mature.