アナホリフクロウ / Burrowing Owl
One of the birds I had really wanted to see in the U.S. was the Burrowing Owl. It is an owl that makes its home in burrows. Many people may have seen photos of them standing together as a family, much like meerkats. They primarily hunt at night but can also be seen outside during the day.
Although Burrowing Owls are technically capable of digging their own burrows, they typically use burrows made by other animals. A well-known burrowing animal is the prairie dog, which inhabits the plains of the central U.S. When comparing their range maps, they overlap perfectly in the central region. However, Burrowing Owls also inhabit western areas, including California. According to field guides, the San Francisco Bay Area is near the northern limit of their range. I had to search for them.
In California, it turns out that these owls primarily use ground squirrel burrows. I’ve seen plenty of ground squirrels… So, I decided to narrow down my search to areas where California Ground Squirrels are particularly abundant.
Thinking from the perspective of a Burrowing Owl: If I were to choose a hiding place, I would want (1) an area with plenty of burrows and (2) an open location with a clear view to spot potential threats. With that in mind, I scanned the slopes with my binoculars and, surprisingly, found one quite easily.
