Whatbird.com

This is a sucky photo of a Burrowing Owl I took last night. I only had my little point & shoot with me.

This bird was at my place of work in West Los Angeles.  I work at a movie studio.  Not exactly the type of place you'd expect to find a Burrowing Owl!

A cool find for sure.  

I've contacted a rescue agency who will probably come out this weekend to capture the little guy and relocate it to a safer more suitable habtiat. 

 

---

Resident Horse Racing Nut.

Life list: 451
Photo'd: 396

Recent lifer addtions: 28 lifers on recent TX trip. Highlights: Northern Wheatear & Northern Jacana

2010 Goal: Get to 500 Life Birds

Nice find!  I don't have any owls yet on my list.

---

Life List: 164
New this year-to-date: 13
Latest: Red-crowned Parrot

Oooh I see you got your waxwings!!  congrats.

Yep it was really cool to find an owl at my work. I've been hoping for one for a very long time.  Never in a million years did I think it would be a Burrowing Owl.  Not a lifer but still a very cool bird.

My lifer Great Horned Owl was also at my job (same place).  A co-worker of mine saw it and came and got me and took me to see it.  Very cool.

---

Resident Horse Racing Nut.

Life list: 451
Photo'd: 396

Recent lifer addtions: 28 lifers on recent TX trip. Highlights: Northern Wheatear & Northern Jacana

2010 Goal: Get to 500 Life Birds

PONYRCR:

Oooh I see you got your waxwings!!  congrats.

Yep it was really cool to find an owl at my work. I've been hoping for one for a very long time.  Never in a million years did I think it would be a Burrowing Owl.  Not a lifer but still a very cool bird.

My lifer Great Horned Owl was also at my job (same place).  A co-worker of mine saw it and came and got me and took me to see it.  Very cool.

Yeah, finally got my waxwings - over at SJWS; I guess you missed my post from yesterday, bragging about it (titled "finally a member of the cedar waxwing club")!

---

Life List: 164
New this year-to-date: 13
Latest: Red-crowned Parrot

I kind of like your picture! We've visited a burrow a couple of times in Eastern Washington - the most we saw at one time is 7. They are a threatened species in the state so you can't really bother them. We got reasonably close before we backed off.

---

New for 2010: horned lark, prairie falcon, red-necked grebe, bewick's wren, snow bunting

How and where did you find this bird? Was rescue able to capture it?

I've walked through the middle of a couple of Burrowing Owl colonies here in Kansas. It's so cool. They don't really fly away, but rather kind of take their time, fly very slowly, only fly about 6 or 8 feet off the ground, and don't go very far - almost as if they are expecting your presence to scare up some prey. 

---

- Steve

Latest lifers: Whooping Crane, Prairie Falcon, White-throated Sparrow, Merlin

slc1856:

How and where did you find this bird? Was rescue able to capture it?

I've walked through the middle of a couple of Burrowing Owl colonies here in Kansas. It's so cool. They don't really fly away, but rather kind of take their time, fly very slowly, only fly about 6 or 8 feet off the ground, and don't go very far - almost as if they are expecting your presence to scare up some prey. 

I first saw the owl on Nov. 18.  However my co-workers told me they'd seen it for a few days before I did.  The owl is in West Los Angeles at a major motion picture studio.

It doesn't need to be rescued.  The bird is in good health and can fly just fine.  I've been told that it's been seen all over the lot recently.

I took this photo of it two days ago when it was roosting in one of our employee parking structures. 

 

---

Resident Horse Racing Nut.

Life list: 451
Photo'd: 396

Recent lifer addtions: 28 lifers on recent TX trip. Highlights: Northern Wheatear & Northern Jacana

2010 Goal: Get to 500 Life Birds

Nice - maybe he/she wants to get into motion pictures!

---

Life List: 164
New this year-to-date: 13
Latest: Red-crowned Parrot

So I'm on my way to my post yesterday when I hear a scoulding sound coming from one of the many trees outside my building.  I spy a little Ruby Crowned Kinglet having a hissy fit.  It's clinging to the trunk of the tree and looking down.  I look down and OMG! there is our Burrowing Owl.  Right outside my building.  I nearly fell over.

He (I've named him George) hung around outside my building right up until dusk.  Very cool.  He got a LOT of attention from bypasers yesterday.  He actually seems quite comfortable with people.  One lady was practically right in his face with a long lens camera.  It didn't seem to faze him at all.

Of course when I got my break I went right outside to go stare at him.  He is just so cute I can't stop looking at him.  I took some photos of him with my little point & shoot yesterday.

 

---

Resident Horse Racing Nut.

Life list: 451
Photo'd: 396

Recent lifer addtions: 28 lifers on recent TX trip. Highlights: Northern Wheatear & Northern Jacana

2010 Goal: Get to 500 Life Birds

One more pic of George from yesterday....

---

Resident Horse Racing Nut.

Life list: 451
Photo'd: 396

Recent lifer addtions: 28 lifers on recent TX trip. Highlights: Northern Wheatear & Northern Jacana

2010 Goal: Get to 500 Life Birds

That's too cool! Is there enough food around there for George? Do you think he's a young bird? I've noticed around my farm that young birds of prey tend to act very goofy and hang out in all the "wrong" places so to speak. I wonder where the closest colony of these owls is.

---

- Steve

Latest lifers: Whooping Crane, Prairie Falcon, White-throated Sparrow, Merlin

We have TONS of crickets on the lot,especially around my building.  So I'm sure he's finding enough to eat.  In fact I saw him chase down an insect and eat it yesterday.

I suspect he might be a young bird.  We don't usually get many Burrowing Owls in this area of Southern California and when we do they show up on the Rare Bird Alerts.  There is one currently hanging out in the Ballona Wetlands in Playa Del Rey.  Of course the wetlands area is a more suitable habitat.  A few years ago there was a Burrowing Owl that showed up for a few weeks behind LAX.  I had to travel out to the Salton Sea to see my first Burrowing Owl.  They are fairly common out there.

The funny thing is the lot is directly across the street from a large golf course and country club.  Either of which would be a more likely habitat for him.  Instead he chooses the concrete and asphalt of Fox.  On the other hand the golf course and country club would also be perfect for larger owls who would prey on him.

---

Resident Horse Racing Nut.

Life list: 451
Photo'd: 396

Recent lifer addtions: 28 lifers on recent TX trip. Highlights: Northern Wheatear & Northern Jacana

2010 Goal: Get to 500 Life Birds

PONYRCR:

  I had to travel out to the Salton Sea to see my first Burrowing Owl.  They are fairly common out there.

I went to the Salton Sea a couple of times when I lived in SoCal, including once when it was about 125 degrees and there was a massive fish die-off. (with a few billion (or trillion) flies) That was a horrible day!

---

- Steve

Latest lifers: Whooping Crane, Prairie Falcon, White-throated Sparrow, Merlin