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Hide and Seek

A burrowing owl peeks out cautiously from its underground den, with only its yellow eyes and the top of its head visible above the cracked, dry earth. The owl is well-camouflaged, blending almost seamlessly into its arid surroundings, while sparse grasses and soft evening light hint at a prairie or desert habitat. The photo captures a moment of alert stillness in nature.
Burrowing Owl – Nikon D500 with AFs 200-500 f5.6VR – 1/400 f8 ISO 800

Back in 2022, when visiting the Badlands for the second time, someone had mentioned the burrowing owl. I tried to find one during that trip, but it was unsuccessful. About a year later, I decided to try again. After heading over to Robert’s Prairie Dog town, I happened to see one flying around. I pulled in and sat to watch a bit. It landed at one of the old prairie dog burrows, and I got out my Nikon D500 and 200-500. I marched out in the middle of a field of prairie dogs, which were causing quite a ruckus due to my presence. The settled down after a while though. The owl however, was being elusive. I knew exactly what burrow it was in, so I set my camera on a tripod, and stood alone in an empty field for about an hour.

Cars came and went, stopping to try to see what the big bald guy with a big lens was looking at in the dirt. They must’ve thought I was nuts, since it looked like there was nothing to see. Every now and then, a pair of eyes popped up from the ground to see what I was doing. After an hour of standing in the sun, hoping a herd of bison didn’t wander through (that’s a common occurrence in that area), I finally decided to accept that my presence was not appreciated, and decided to grab a shot of our owl friend playing hide and see with me.

While the burrowing owl isn’t a super rare bird, it’s one that I was super excited to see. Next time I head out, I will be sure to spend more time and see if I can get one out and wandering about.

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