I know today is Superb Owl Sunday, but I was surprised to see all kinds of headlines about it in the newspaper and on the internet. And I'm really confused about what the San Francisco 49ers have to do with bird-watching. I mean, I could see it if we were talking about the Seattle Seahawks, or the Atlanta Falcons or some such. But in any case, HAPPY SUPERB OWL SUNDAY!
Here are my latest owl shots to celebrate with. The first one, above, is from last Friday. It's a Great Horned Owl (
Bubo virginianus). We were at the Merced National Wildlife Refuge and had completed most of the auto loop. There is one last group of trees that we always check out because there are often a few owls hanging out and Friday was no exception.
The second picture is a Burrowing Owl (
Athene cunicularia) that I saw last November on the north shore of Turlock Lake, in the midst of the California prairie. They are never abundant in our county, and none have been noted yet this year.
The last picture is a Hawaiian Short-eared Owl, or Pueo (
Asio flammeus sandwichensis). To say it my most recent picture is technically correct, but it is also my only picture of a Pueo. I took it in 2009 while traveling with students on the island of Kauai. The owl is native to Hawaii, and is a subspecies of the widespread Short-eared Owl.
Have a great Superb Owl Sunday, and happy hunting for your own owls. I mean, what else are you gonna do today?
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