One reason many people visit the National Grasslands near Pierre, S.D. is to see Burrowing Owls. If you are willing to skip your your normal dinner hour and bird the two to three hours before sundown, oh my will you see Burrowing Owls. While it is definitely possible to see these cute owls during the middle of the day, they really start to perform towards sunset. In late July the parent owls have young owlets to feed and they hunt before sundown. It is rather easy to find Burrowing Owls. Drive back roads and look for Prairie Dog mounds, and you will find Burrowing Owls. Prairie Dogs and Burrowing Owls live together, and the owls take over abandoned Prairie Dog burrows. One of my favorite drives is War Creek Road; however please realize I go faaaar off the beaten path …

The Burrowing Owls of the National Grasslands (video link for email subscribers)

I am pretty certain both of these images are “fly-bys” by a parent with food. It is time for these owlets to fledge. In neither instance did the parent owls land.

And here we have a bunch of upset youngsters! Food came, and it went away. You want supper you will fly!

And more pics …

The Movie!