The vast open prairies and grasslands of the American west are marvelous places for nature lovers like myself. Recently I have been spending a lot of time wondering around in these great treeless regions. Nothing but grasses and flowers for as far as the eye can see. Trees have been replaced by the sky and the wind constantly sweeps across the landscape.
You might think at first that these grasslands are devoid of life but that would be untrue. In fact this grassy habitat is filled with all manner of life, insects, reptiles, amphibians, mammals and especially birds. One bird in particular calls the grasslands home, that is the Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia)
The Burrowing Owl is just one species in a very long list of critters who all depends upon a rather non-dramatic, non-glamorous species– the Prairie Dog for their survival. These small mammals of the grasslands live in large colonies and dig elaborate underground burrows. Everything from rattlesnakes and dung beetles and Swift Foxes and Black-footed Ferrets use these burrows for their homes including the Borrowing Owls.
Burrowing Owls are small ground dwelling owl that are less than ten inches tall. Much of this height is attributed to its long legs. They have bright white eyebrows and throat which make their yellow eyes stand out. Unlike other raptors they have a very small bill. The reason for this lies in what they eat. They don’t eat large mammals or other major food items, no, they eat insects–mainly beetles. In the grasslands there are many kinds of beetles but there is one particularly large black beetle which these owls seem to relish. And their small bill is perfect for catching and eating insects.
Many insects are active during the day so that means the owls need to be active during the day also. They spend many hours sitting on fence posts, on the ground or hovering about 30 feet in the air using their big yellow eyes to watch for their favorite food.
At this time of year the baby Burrowing Owls are emerging from their dens into the sunlight for the first time and for a wildlife photographer this is the moment to capture. Touching moments between parents and young make for some of the best wildlife photography. Interaction between siblings is also a golden moment. I am here to capture it all.
After spending time looking for active nests, my photography partner and I decided on a particular nest. We set up our small two person blind, constructed of dark rip-stop nylon and climbed inside for the long wait. It was about 3 PM and the heat of the day had built to 104 degrees F. Planning on the heat we took along two water bottles each. Needless to say our supply of water was gone in the first hour. After that we sat there in the intense heat sweating so profusely that not only was our clothing soaked but even our leather belts holding up our pants were soaked. It was a literal sauna in there.
During the wait we had some talk about what we should do if one of us passes out from the heat and lack of water. What should we do? Does the other keep shooting until they get a good shot or do we abandon everything and head out. Being dedicated wildlife photographers we decided on getting the images. The hours passed and finally the adults started coming in with beaks full of large insects. The young would run out of the burrow to accept the offerings from the parents. After grabbing the insect the parents would fly off and the young would go back to the cool underground chamber.
Just when the sun was getting low in the sky, offering some of the sweetest golden light, the light that wildlife photographers dream about, the adult Burrowing Owls really started bringing in the insects and our cameras were smoking. We captures many images of interaction and intimacy in the owl family. When the sun sank below the horizon we emerged from our nylon hot box into evening air, still in the high 90’s, which felt relatively cool compared to our hot confinement. We packed up the blind and started the walk back to my truck. Another great evening in the grasslands. Until next time…
Stan Tekiela is an author / naturalist / wildlife photographer who travels the US to study and photograph wildlife. He can be followed at Facebook.com and Twitter.com.