Birds in Nature - images of wild birds by Richard Ditch

Subject: Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia)
Place: Gilbert, AZ, USA
Date: May 2004
Equipment: Nikon N90S, Nikkor AF-S 300/2.8 & TC20E (= 600/5.6), tripod, SB28
Film: Fujichrome Sensia 100
Exposure: Aperture priority matrix metered, fill flash @ -1.7
Scan: Minolta Dimage & VueScan, full frame

Commentary: Burrowing Owls displaced by the rapid urban expansion of the Phoenix metro area are being relocated to this park area in Gilbert, where artifical burrows are created and the owls are getting used to people (and less used to their dogs).This image shows the educational signs placed near the artificial burrows provided for the birds. A leg band can also be seen - only some of the relocated birds wear them. I know many people don't care to see the hand-of-man in images, but to me this is an important part of the overall story of this conservation effort. Getting the complete name in the frame has caused the owl to be farther left than I'd like.

View another owl at this location.