This week was the holiday siblings day (only child here so I was unaware) and my random desktop background that was chosen for that day was a group of adorable burrowing owls snuggled up together. That was when I knew my prediction from round 1 that the burrowing owl would win would come true. Clearly it has been foretold that our underground emperor shall emerge victorious. So it was so it shall ever be, burrowing owls for eternity!
Some birds are Of The Ground. Ostriches and emus and suchlike. This is not surprising, because most birds are in contact with the ground at some point. But being Below The Ground? That is not a place for a bird! It is the opposite of where a bird should be! It’s like if you told me an anglerfish lived at the summit of Everest. This, to me, is the appeal of the Burrowing Owl. It is a bird of Surprise.
It is a bird of possibility. If an owl can live underground, clearly no limits exist that can’t be smashed through? The burrowing owl is an exemplar of life’s ability to dream beyond its grasp so as to one day achieve such visions.
One of the highlights of our occasional visits to my parents when the winter in Florida is driving around Marco Island and seeing all the burrowing owls who set up shop there. The areas around the burrows are roped off and there are "Watch out for burrowing owl" signs around. Also, the town builds little perches for them. One visit, we saw like a half dozen all out on perches. Another time, our only sighting was one little dude running over to his hole in the ground.
Thanks to the way burrowing owls (which I will forever call "burrow owls" because of the Dead Milkmen) bob their heads when looking at you, some folks call them "howdy birds." Naturally, my spouse and I will always say, "Howdy, bird!" to any burrowing owl we see.
There's a couple good birding spots -- burrowing owls have burrows in a couple different neightborhoods, there is (or has been) a pair of bald eagles nesting there pretty regularly, and Tigertail Beach can be really good for shorebirds, herons & egrets, gulls, and pelicans. I also got my lifer swallow-tailed kite there. The nearby Marsh Trail that's part of the Ten Thousand Island NWR is wild in the evening since it's a big rookery, so there will be hundreds of herons, egrets, ibis, and other birds flying in to roost for the night.
burrowing owl for the title!!!
Owl gang let’s goooo
I've gotta say, this tournament has turned out poorly. What are you people doing. Why am I voting for a bird in a hole.
i'm liking this just because i endorse general grumpiness about democracy, not because i agree. (we are all neutral at discourse blog.)
Perfidy! Clearly a conspiracy against the chosen owl king. This has all the neutrality of the 2020 Iowa caucus.
look....just because the system that counts these votes has crashed 55 times in the last hour doesn't mean anything's gone wrong
This week was the holiday siblings day (only child here so I was unaware) and my random desktop background that was chosen for that day was a group of adorable burrowing owls snuggled up together. That was when I knew my prediction from round 1 that the burrowing owl would win would come true. Clearly it has been foretold that our underground emperor shall emerge victorious. So it was so it shall ever be, burrowing owls for eternity!
Some birds are Of The Ground. Ostriches and emus and suchlike. This is not surprising, because most birds are in contact with the ground at some point. But being Below The Ground? That is not a place for a bird! It is the opposite of where a bird should be! It’s like if you told me an anglerfish lived at the summit of Everest. This, to me, is the appeal of the Burrowing Owl. It is a bird of Surprise.
It is a bird of possibility. If an owl can live underground, clearly no limits exist that can’t be smashed through? The burrowing owl is an exemplar of life’s ability to dream beyond its grasp so as to one day achieve such visions.
You know what, Stuart? I like you.
One of the highlights of our occasional visits to my parents when the winter in Florida is driving around Marco Island and seeing all the burrowing owls who set up shop there. The areas around the burrows are roped off and there are "Watch out for burrowing owl" signs around. Also, the town builds little perches for them. One visit, we saw like a half dozen all out on perches. Another time, our only sighting was one little dude running over to his hole in the ground.
Thanks to the way burrowing owls (which I will forever call "burrow owls" because of the Dead Milkmen) bob their heads when looking at you, some folks call them "howdy birds." Naturally, my spouse and I will always say, "Howdy, bird!" to any burrowing owl we see.
Anyway, sticking with the owls.
Native Floridian here who’s never been to Marco Island but now I have a reason to!
There's a couple good birding spots -- burrowing owls have burrows in a couple different neightborhoods, there is (or has been) a pair of bald eagles nesting there pretty regularly, and Tigertail Beach can be really good for shorebirds, herons & egrets, gulls, and pelicans. I also got my lifer swallow-tailed kite there. The nearby Marsh Trail that's part of the Ten Thousand Island NWR is wild in the evening since it's a big rookery, so there will be hundreds of herons, egrets, ibis, and other birds flying in to roost for the night.