These Burrowing Owls have got to have one of the highest "cuteness" factors in the animal world, although they also do have a rather intense stare. All of these shots were taken on a farm road in California near the town of Westmoreland as I traveled through on the way to the Salton Sea, a huge inland lake that is an important migrating bird stopping point. I was able to take these shots right from my rental car, as these birds are nesting right along side the road. Love the one standing guard in front of their nest as they are using a bale of hay, rather than something underground. Each of the nests were marked with warning flags, helping the farmers to stay clear of the area--a nice bit of help to the owls. Very cool area.
