Western Burrowing Owl (May 1, 2021)

This is my fourth post on the burrowing owl: (a) my first post was related to an April 9th visit to the Salton Sea where I saw 12 owls; (b) my second post related to an April 17th visit where I saw 19 owls; and (c) my third post related to an April 24th visit where I got photos of 49 different owls. This post relates to a May 1 visit where I got photos of 45 owls. 

On my first two visits I drove Vendel Road, Forrester Road and Gentry Road which is where I saw the owls. On my third visit I expanded where I was viewing the owls to areas between Vendel Road on the west and Forrester Road on the east and Walker Road on the north and Bannister Road on the south and saw quite a few more owls. I also saw five owls on Sinclair Road leaving the Sonny Bono NWR, a place I'd not seen them before. On this fourth visit I expanded the boundaries to some roads north of Walker Road up to Foulds Road and even north, and to some roads south of Bannister Road as far south as Steiner Road. I saw some owls in the expanded areas, but found that they did not have as many owls as the expanded areas in the third week. I also: (a) did do one road east of Forrester, Dean Road (and saw one owl); (b) did Young Road, west off Gentry Road at the south end of Kate's Lake (and saw one owl); (c) took Garst Road north of Sinclair Road to Red Hill (and so no owls); and (d) saw one owl at Sinclair and Gentry Road, where the Sonny Bono NWR is located,  where I'd been quite a few times before but never seen owls. But I so no owls further east on Sinclair Road. 

I provide photos of the owls with a little bit of commentary:

Owls 1 and 2 on Vendel Road, part of the Sonny Bono NWR, unit 1. 

Owl 3 on Vendel Road. 

Owl 4 on Vendel Road. 

Owl 5 on Vendel Road.

Owl 6 on Vendel Road

Owl 7 on Vendel Road.

Owl 8 on Baker Road, between Bannister and Walker. Baker is the next signed road east of Vendel. 

Owls 9 and 10 on Baker Road. 

Owl 11 on Bruchard Road, between Walker on the south and Foulds on the north, a new area from prior visits. 

Owl 12 on Pellett Road, north of Walker and south of Foulds, a new area. 

Owl 13, also on the same stretch of Pellett Road.  

Owl 14 on Hoskins Road, north of Walker and south of Foulds, also in the new area. 

Owl 15 along the same stretch of Hoskins Road. This owl is featured in the next few photos.  

Walker Road, between McNerney and Lack Roads. The next few photos are of this same owl. 

Owl 17 on the same stretch of Walker Road. 

Owl 18 on the same stretch of Walker Road. This owl is peering out of its burrow. I saw this owl outside the burrow (see the photo below). I also saw it using its feet to push dirt of the burrow in a long flurry of flying feet. 

Owl 19 on the same stretch of Walker Road. This is the companion of owl 18. 

Owl 20 on Lack Road, between Walker and Bannister. 

Owl 21 on the same stretch of Lack Road. 

Owl 22 on the same stretch of Lack Road. 

Owl 23 on Lack Road, south of Bannister and before Steiner Road. This was a new area for me. 

I caught just a portion of it in flight. I'm still waiting for a good photo of a flying burrowing owl. 

Owl 24 on the same new stretch of Lack Road. 

Owl 25 on the same new stretch of Lack Road, standing on one in a row of sprinkler heads. 

I got a little better photo of it in flight. 

Owl 26 on Hoskins Road, south of Bannister and before Steiner. This is also in an area I'd not been before. 

Owl 27 on Hoskins, now north of Bannister and before Walker, an area I'd been before. 

Owl 28 on Walker Road, between Hoskins and McNerney.

Owl 29 on the same stretch of Walker Road. 

Owl 30 on the same stretch of Walker Road. Walker Road is a great place for the owls because it has large dirt embankments next to irrigation water that has had holes burrowed out by the local ground squirrels. 

Owl 31 on Walker Road, between McNerney and Lack. 

Owl 32 on Lack Road, between Walker and Bannister. 

Owl 33 on Martin Road, between Bannister and Walker. 

Owl 34 on the same stretch of Martin Road. 

Owls 35 and 36 on the same stretch of Martin Road. 

Owl 37 on the same stretch of Martin Road.

Owl 38 on Forrester Road, between Walker and Bannister.

Owl 39 on the same stretch of Forrester Road.

Owl 40 on Dean Road, north of Bannister, a street I'd not been on before. 

Owl 41 on Gentry Road before the right turn.

Owl 42 on Gentry Road near Kate's Lake. 

Owl 43 on Gentry Road near Kate's Lake.

Owl 44 on Young Road, west of Gentry. This was a street I'd not been on before. 

Owl 45 on Sinclair Road where Gentry connects, at the Sonny Bono NWR. I'd not seen an owl here before. Note the band on its leg.