[SBB] More burrowing at Shoreline Park

[Mark Bohrer <[[email protected]]>]

With all the excitement over burrowing owls at Shoreline lately, I had to 
seek 'em out for myself.

Last Friday morning after shooting interiors and exteriors at Kannon Do Zen 
Center, I parked by Shoreline's temporary golf shop and walked across the 
pavement to the nearby trail. I was so focused on walking the 100 paces 
down that trail to find the hill I thought was ahead of me, I didn't see 
the low dirt mound to my left until I'd walked past it.

Then I scanned around, and there they were. Those little guys always look 
like refugees from the Saturday morning cartoons. The entire family tumbled 
around the mound, maybe 8 birds - it was like a morning owl picnic.

I picked out one adult with its barred breast, swivelling its head 
occasionally to keep an eye on juvenile antics and possible predators. It 
stood in one spot, ignoring all the plain-breasted youngsters' activity. 
http://tinyurl.com/aktqt

An old signpost in front of the mound was one young owl's favorite. He 
stretched his wings in his best Marilyn Monroe imitation when he wasn't 
casting suspicious looks on bicyclists and runners. http://tinyurl.com/a2mxg

Some of the little ones decided two pairs of eyes were better than one to 
watch the silly photographer moving to get the best background blur. 
http://tinyurl.com/8y6bo

Finally, the guy on the signpost got bored with the whole thing and yawned 
hugely. http://tinyurl.com/9j8dy

Constant skywatching can help you survive. A northern harrier swooped in 
for a snack, but the owls all disappeared down their burrows first. The 
frustrated harrier flew off, and the owl show was over.

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--> See more owl images at http://tinyurl.com/c4jno. <--
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Mark Bohrer
Mountain and Desert Photography
www.mountain-and-desert.com
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