{"id":46372,"date":"2017-04-19T05:34:51","date_gmt":"2017-04-19T11:34:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=46372"},"modified":"2024-06-19T03:36:03","modified_gmt":"2024-06-19T08:36:03","slug":"mated-pair-of-burrowing-owls-on-a-grassy-hill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2017\/04\/19\/mated-pair-of-burrowing-owls-on-a-grassy-hill\/","title":{"rendered":"Mated Pair of Burrowing Owls on a Grassy Hill"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"BurrowingBurrowing Owls on a grassy hill – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1250, ISO 400, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

I’ve been watching a badger burrow that showed up on a hill last year when I am out looking for birds in northern Utah hoping to see a badger in top of the hill. Every time I have looked at it since last year I have been disappointed because there has never been a badger there and I am fond of badgers.<\/p>\n

Last week I did spot something at that badger burrow on the grassy hill that I have been watching for so long and it was a mated pair of Burrowing Owls! I should have been expecting to see Burrowing Owls there because they quite often will select an old badger burrow or den as their nesting site, especially since we don’t have prairie dogs in that area.<\/p>\n

I was also excited to capture SO much green in my images, this wet spring has really helped the spring grasses grow.<\/p>\n

This burrow is quite a distance from the road but later on in the breeding season I expect I will be able to see and photograph a big brood of juvenile Burrowing Owls at the entrance of the burrow and it will be fun to watch them grow up, test their wings and take flight.<\/p>\n

Even though I have been disappointed to not see a badger on this hill I am delighted that the Burrowing Owls are now calling it home. Thanks to a badger.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

PS: The female Burrowing Owl is on the left and the male is on the right.<\/em><\/p>\n

Click here<\/a><\/span> to view more of my Burrowing Owl photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last week I did spot something at that badger burrow on the grassy hill that I have been watching for so long and it was a mated pair of Burrowing Owls!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":129612,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,1148,52,26],"tags":[4004,55,5819,4214,4098,7524,7526,5818,7527,7528,2240,2138,3967,294,7525,11852,153,165,5820],"class_list":["post-46372","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-box-elder-county-utah","category-burrowing-owls","category-utah","tag-adult","tag-athene-cunicularia","tag-badger-burrow","tag-burrowing-owl","tag-desert","tag-desert-owl","tag-gopher-owl","tag-grassy-hill","tag-ground-owl","tag-howdy-owl","tag-mated-pair","tag-mates","tag-owl","tag-owls","tag-prairie-dog-owl","tag-ranchlands","tag-raptors","tag-spring","tag-spring-grasses"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/burrowing-owls-mated-pair-mia-mcpherson-8934.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-c3W","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":46046,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2017\/04\/07\/burrowing-owl-at-its-burrow-on-a-cloudy-day\/","url_meta":{"origin":46372,"position":0},"title":"Burrowing Owl At Its Burrow On A Cloudy Day","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 7, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"I photographed this Burrowing Owl adult at its burrow earlier this week not too long after a huge bank of clouds moved over Antelope Island State Park.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Burrowing Owl adult at burrow on a cloudy day, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/burrowing-owl-in-burrow-mia-mcpherson-4466.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/burrowing-owl-in-burrow-mia-mcpherson-4466.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/burrowing-owl-in-burrow-mia-mcpherson-4466.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/burrowing-owl-in-burrow-mia-mcpherson-4466.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":46408,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2017\/04\/21\/side-lit-male-burrowing-owl\/","url_meta":{"origin":46372,"position":1},"title":"Side Lit Male Burrowing Owl – Early Morning Light And Wildflowers","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 21, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Two mornings ago I photographed the side lit male Burrowing Owl with wildflowers in the background but with all the rain we have been having it won't be long before the vegetation completely obscures the burrow and the owls.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Side lit male Burrowing Owl in wildflowers, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/burrowing-owl-male-wildflowers-mia-mcpherson-0043.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/burrowing-owl-male-wildflowers-mia-mcpherson-0043.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/burrowing-owl-male-wildflowers-mia-mcpherson-0043.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/burrowing-owl-male-wildflowers-mia-mcpherson-0043.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":98321,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/12\/20\/aba-bird-of-the-year-2022-the-burrowing-owl\/","url_meta":{"origin":46372,"position":2},"title":"ABA Bird Of The Year 2022 – The Burrowing Owl!","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 20, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"It was announced yesterday that the Burrowing Owl is the 2022 ABA Bird of the Year! Burrowing Owls are small, long-legged, sandy-colored, charismatic owls with bright yellow eyes.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Immature Burrowing Owl on a stump in soft morning light, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/burrowing-owl-immature-morning-light-mia-mcpherson-7693.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/burrowing-owl-immature-morning-light-mia-mcpherson-7693.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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