Not interested....

Wait, this tennis ball has eyes.

You want me to throw THAT?

In the wild, growing burrowing owl chicks spend a lot of time outside the nest burrow. They pounce on grasshoppers, play with sticks, and scrabble for food with their siblings. Their antics are fun to watch, but these owlets are actually learning important life skills like flying and hunting.

Sibling Rivalry

Can you find the owl?

If you have brothers or sisters, you’ll understand. My dog's life was turned upside town when she was introduced to two owls. She had to start sharing her things. Even her beds.

Shorty soon learned that the bedroom was the quietest and darkest place to nap during the day.

Short-eared owls often roost (sleep) in tufts of grass in the wild. The grass serves as great camouflage and probably a good break from the wind too. I never considered comfort to be important to wild animals, but I suppose a dog bed is like a bed of soft grass.

Even George thought the dog beds were great.

Well, where did that leave my dog?

I looked up from my computer one day to find my dog sitting in Shorty's carrying crate. All her bed's were being used, so it was time to take matter into her own hands (paws, hehe).

Traffic Stopper

Age: 40 days old
Mood: Grouchy


George decided to nap by the back entrance, so we had to lock the back door to the Interpretive Centre to stop any thorough traffic... just so he wouldn't be disturbed while napping. Talk about star treatment, sheesh...

All we're missing were the traffic cones!

Sssssshhhhhhh, George is sleeping....

Perfect Roost

Flashback: June 19, several weeks old

At least if Shorty poops, the dirty laundry is already in the basket. I call that Win Win.

Get the hint yet?

Flashback: 16 days old

Looking back, I still can't believe how quickly George grew. In this photo, George is peeking out at the rest of the big world.

At 16 days old, he was already too big and too active for his case. He left me scrambling for a box that was neither too small or too big.

Otherwise Known As....

Burrowing owls go by many names: Ground Owl, Coo Coo Owl, Billy Owl, and Prairie Bobber.

My favourite, though, is the "Howdy Owl" and I think this video shows the spirit of this name.

George says....

George says to visit our website! http://www.sboic.ca/



There is lots of information about burrowing owls, our Owls On Tour program, and our Adopt An Owl fundraiser.

WARNING: Not for the faint of heart!

Ever wonder how owls eat mice?

Burrowing owls are quite small compared to their prey, so they rip their mice apart with their sharp beak and talons. Eating it bite by bite, it takes a few minutes to devour a mouse.

A short-eared owl, on the other hand, can wolf down a mouse in seconds. Behold! Shorty lunching on a mouse!

The Stink Eye

Age: 39 days old

This is what people mean by stink eye. No one does it better than owls...