Western Burrowing Owl (May 8, 2021)

May 8, 2021 was my fifth visit seeing burrowing owls. I cut back the boundaries of my driving to about the same as my third visit as some of the extended areas I visited on week four did not have as high a density of owls. The purpose of my back to back to back visits has been an attempt to see young owlets and so far, including this visit, it has been unsuccessful. However, I have been getting to know the burrowing owl better and I did meet a birding couple from Huntington Beach who saw one owlet earlier in the day along Gentry Road. I saw an owl along McDonald Road in Niland, an area I visited in each of my previous trips, but the first time I'd seen an owl there. 

I photographed 55 owls as follows: 

Owl 1 on Vendel Road. I recognize this outcropping as a place I saw two owls the week before. I saw 8 owls along Vendel Road, 7 on each of my two previous visits. It has been the best road for finding owls as well as seeing other wildlife. But my first two visits I saw 1 total. So the owls must come out during the nesting period and not all year. 

Owl 2 on Vendel Road.

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 Vendel Road. 

Owl 9 on Baker Road, between Bannister and Walker. I saw two owls near this flag the week before. 

Owl 10 on Baker Road. 

Owls 11 and 12 on Bruchard Road, between Walker and Bannister. 

Owl 13 on Bruchard Road. 

Owl 14 on Bruchard Road. 

Owls 15 and 16 along Bruchard Road. 

Owl 17 on Bruchard Road. 

Owl 18 on Bruchard Road. 

Owl 19 on Bruchard Road. 

Owl 20 on Pellett Road, between Walker and Bannister. 

Owl 21 on Pellett Road. 

Owl 22 on Pellett Road. 

Owl 23 on Pellett Road. 

Owl 24 on Walker Road, between Bruchard and Pellett. It had been standing next to the plastic tubing and I got it in flight. 

This is where it landed after it flew. 

I got the same owl on another drive-by. I saw it go down the plastic tube. 

Owl 25 on the same section of Walker Road. This is a different piece of tubing. The owls appear to be using the tubing for burrows. 

Owl 26 on the same section of Walker. 

Owl 27 on Hoskins Road, between Walker and Bannister. 

Owl 28 on Hoskins Road. 

Owl 29 on Hoskins Road. 

Owl 30 on McNerney Road, between Walker and Bannister. 

Owl 31 on Walker, between McNerney and Hoskins. 

Owl 32 on Walker, between McNerney and Hoskins. As you can see there is a lot of the black plastic tubing and the burrowing owls like it. 

Owl 33 on the same section of Walker. 

Owl 34 on the same section of Walker. 

Owl 35 on the same section of Walker Road. This was the first burrowing owl I'd seen on a telephone pole. I saw another one a few minutes later. 

Owl 36 on the same section of Walker. 

Owl 37 along the same section of Walker Road.

Owl 38 along the same section of Walker Road and the second on a telephone pole. 

Owl 39 on Hoskins Road, between just north of Walker. I saw it as I was turning on to Walker.  

Owl 40 on Lack, between Walker and Bannister. 

Owl 42 on Lack Road. 

Owl 42 on Lack Road. 

Owl 43 on Lack Road. 

Owl 44 on Martin Road, between Walker and Bannister. I saw two owls on these same branches the week before.  

Owl 45 on Gentry Road just south of Kate's Lake and across the street. This is an area I see owls every time. 

Owl 46 on Gentry Road, in the same area just south of Kate's Lake. 

Owl 47 on Gentry Road, directly across the street from Kate's Lake. 

Owl 48 on Gentry Road, just north of Kate's Lake and across the street. 

Owl 49 on Gentry Road, just north of Kate's Lake. 

Owl 50 at the intersection of Gentry Road and Sinclair Road at the entrance to Sonny Bono NWR. It is in the same spot and probably the same owl I saw the week before as it was also banded. 

Owl 51 on Sinclair Road. 

Owl 52 on Sinclair Road. 

Owl 53 on Sinclair Road. 

Owl 54 on Sinclair Road. 

Owl 55 on McDonald Road in Niland. This is near a marsh I visit every time and the first time I've seen a burrowing owl there. 

I'm losing a little interest in just looking at burrowing owls, but really want to see owlets before I stop. My photos are not generally as good because I'm only taking a photo or two of each owl to document it and I've been less focused on getting a good photo of each owl.