Several months ago I was looking out of our guest bedroom deck window and I saw what looked like a small owl standing near some old concrete forms in the back parking area of our home. I ran for the binoculars and my camera and eventually went downstairs and walked up fairly close to get these pictures.
I was able to walk up to within about fifty feet of the birds. There were two of them and they kept their eyes on me as I zoomed in for closer shots. Eventually I got too close and they flew up into the trees behind the parking lot, so I backed off and went in to consult our bird book to see if I could identify the species.
The owls are simply named Burrowing Owls (Athene Cunicularia – in Latin and Buho Terrestre – in Spanish). They only get to about 8 1/2 to 9 1/2 inches tall. They are mostly nocturnal, but come out during the day at times especially in the early evening.
Seems that the birds were looking for a place to dig into the ground and make a nest. The area in our parking lot was unsuitable, but they did find a spot on the hillside behind the Vistazul complex which we can see from our guest bedroom deck.
Over the last few months we have watched them periodically come out to screech at dogs who ventured too near the nesting site and we can often hear them making noises in the evening. There are actually at least two burrows in the hillside behind Vistazul. The one hole is about fifty yards away from our back fence.
One afternoon, Mary called to me to tell me the owls were out and I got my camera and moved up to the fence line. The closest pair was coaxing their young ones out into the sunlight.
We counted four babies, but they are about as large as the adults.
Maybe it was time to convince these growing babies that it was time to move onto their own homes?
But, they did not seem in any hurry to leave as they walked in and out of the burrow, preening themselves and kicking dirt out of the nest. I got some video clips of the birds from about fifty yards away as they came in and out of the nest. The first shows one hopping up onto the hill and shaking the dirt from its’ wings.
This second video shows one of the birds come out and extend its’ wing to catch some sun.
Life is good in Ecuador!
Written by John
Who needs National Geographic with you two alert spectators behind a camera? All I have learned about living in Ecuador I have learned by experiencing your marvelous blogs and pictures…and I live here, only moments from you! Your generosity of spirit and sharing is appreciated and enjoyed. I join in your observations and adventures with expectation, glee and gratitude.
Love, J..
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I think we still need National Geographic for the close ups of dangerous wild animals! Just getting the pictures that I do has given me a greater appreciation for the experts and what they go through. Still it is fun and educational for us. Glad you like them.
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This is totally cool! Thank you so much for the story, photos and videos. How exciting.
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Thanks – I was pretty happy with the videos since I could not get too close and had to zoom in from fifty to sixty yards away. Glad you liked them.
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these are great images! i love the seriousness of the eyes!
z
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The local gardeners at Vistazul said that traditionally Ecuadorians think owls are devil birds because of the evil eyes. I think they are just very alert eyes and they intrigue me.
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How cue are they? 🙂
How lucky are you 😉
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thank you, we are fortunate to be able to watch them daily and yes they are sooo cute 🙂
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Oh, wow! Beautiful and fascinating creatures. Reminds me of a movie shot in Florida of similar birds living under ground and how a little boy save their home and made it into a park. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
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Thank you! We live in an area that could be made in to a natural refuge area. It is so amazing to watch the birds, insects and animals around us. Merry Christmas to you and your family as well.
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thanks so much for sharing your beautiful photos!!!
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You are welcome! Nature shares with us as we live and witness life around us.
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Of interest: I just did a search to find the Ecuadorian Spanish name for Ecuadorian Burrowing Owl, and Bing search placed this post at the very top of the list, with a nice little box/window around it. What a compliment!
Hope that the sun is smiling over your GPS location; it’s raining a lot here (needed) and machines are working all over the place resurfacing the streets, so it’s loud all day – and now smelly! Ah, savor your sweet gardens and the solace they give. Love, Lisa
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