Owls!
To my surprise, I learned this weekend that Davis has a lively population of burrowing owls, Athene cunicularia. How cool is that?
I took some nice shots, but Jonathan has a 300mm zoom, and I don't.
They're one of the few species of owl that is active during the day, though I think these guys were only awake to watch various chattering bipeds on the hiking trail. They seem comfortable with people getting within about 30 feet of their burrows, so you can get pretty close. If you go any closer, they start to do the "I don't like you" dance. If you ignore the display and keep getting closer, I'm not sure if they would run into their burrows or have at you with their claws and beaks. Owls will mess you up, even these little guys. At least they're polite enough to warn you, so heed the warning.
Posts
