Long Night
Both of the Burrowing Owls in the park are approaching their one month anniversary. The First Owl, tucked away out of sight, perched on its rock in the morning, as it has since it arrived. The Second Owl, up in plain view of adoring park visitors, looked like it had had a long night of foraging. In the early morning light it still seemed alert and active, but as the morning wore on, its eyelids closed for little owl naps. But a pesky fly interfered and the owl had to shake it off time after time, disturbing its repose. The bird yawned at least a dozen times in a few minutes. The video shows a small sample.
It’s common for the owls to slow down and go into a semi-snooze mode during the middle of the day. They’re never completely asleep. Even when they have both eyes shut, their ears remain alert, and they can count on nearby squirrels and sometimes sparrows and other birds to sound an alarm if danger threatens.
