Burrowing Owl, Southern Wildlife Preserve, San Diego California

After a slow time at Famosa Slough yesterday morning, I decided to go look for the Burrowing Owls along the San Diego River Channel in the Southern Wildlife Preserve, in Mission Bay Park. There are a few that have their homes in ground squirrel nests there, if you know where to look. I found them last year, half burred in the ice plant, after failed attempts the two years before. This year the ice plants have died back considerably and I found my owl sitting out on a sizable mound of dirt in front of its burrow. I saw at least one other likely burrow but no owl there. It was raining when I found the owl, and I have lots of pics of it eating a small bird in the increasingly wet rain…before fear for my damp camera and myself drove me back to the car. I could see that it was a passing storm, so I drove up and across Sea World Drive to visit the facilities at the Boat Ramp in Mission Bay Park, and came back when the storm had passed. The owl was still there, now taking its ease and drying off in the sun. It was super cooperative, not afraid of me at all, and allowed me to take a few steps out into the dead ice plant to get this close up at 600mm. You would have to view it at full resolution to see the feather detail, but it is amazing! Sony RX10iv. Program mode. 1/800th @ f4 @ ISO 100. -.3EV. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.