Burrowing Owl

I did my second set of point counts at Mud Lake this morning. There were a few signs of spring's progression. Willows are starting to leaf out, insects (including mosquitoes) were more abundant, and birds are arriving. I had my first Orange-crowned Warbler, Marbled Godwit, Barn Swallow, Least Sandpiper, and Red-naped Sapsucker for the year. It was a pretty nice, but windy, morning to be out. Great-horned Owls were hooting, Vesper Sparrows were singing, Loons and Grebes were calling on the lake, and hundreds of swallows were wheeling overhead. While I was in one area doing a count I startled a Moose, which of course startled me. It turned and shot me a look, a lot like the look my mother used to give me when I misbehaved in church, before wandering off through the willows. On the way to and from the lake I photographed this little guy.


Burrowing Owl (early morning), Mud Lake, ID 2006


Burrowing Owl (late morning), Mud Lake, ID 2006