Growing Up with Burrowing Owls

My good friend Alan Ramsey shot and narrated this short documentary about a family of burrowing owls he came across the summer of 2014 in Montana. He works collecting data for conservation at MPG Ranch: www.mpgranch.com/
He's allowed me to share this video with you as part of my effort to save the burrowing owl: savetheburrowin...

[@mayonnaiseeee]

2:58 is so cute. It's fascinating how they live side by side with prairie dogs. Thanks for the footage!

[@luizcesarmoreira867]

Gratitude for taking care of the beautiful owls. They are important to everyone on the planet!

[@gloriah7146]

Thank You for presenting this wonderful short documentary. The owls are part of a community of other species, the survival of each is crucial for the survival of all.

[@AishawithanEye]

Thank you and you're welcome! That's poetic, but not entirely true. There are species we call "umbrella species." Umbrella species are species selected for making conservation-related decisions, typically because protecting these species indirectly protects the many other species that make up the ecological community of its habitat (the umbrella effect). The burrowing owl is an "umbrella species" because we--us educated humans stepping in to do something--have selected them. Not all species must survive for all to survive. Species are coming into existence and blinking out of existence all the time, but right now we're at an unprecedented rate of mass extinction (we are currently in the 6th in Earth's history) where more species are becoming extinct than coming into existence. We must discern to save those who provide the greatest value to us; to our survival as humankind.

[@Ahmadabdal_]

Thankyou for helping those beautiful owls

[@tater760]

I found this video while looking for videos of burrowing owls. I live in North County San Diego - we have a burrowing owl in our backyard! Thank you for making this video. It was super informative!!!

[@AishawithanEye]

Aww! How fortunate of you! There are lots of burrowing owls in the backyards of those in Florida (those are the Eastern Burrowing Owl), but it's quite a bit less common in California.

[@Shikelya]

Enjoyable, thank you for sharing :)

[@Ahmadabdal_]

I am speechless on how beautiful life is. It is sad that there are predator/prey relations but I think that just emphasises the importance of life and the cherishing of our existence. I hope well for these owls moving thousands of miles away from where they are born on their journey

[@cyninbend]

Wonderful information. TY! The more we learn about our world, the more exciting it is...the greater the depth when we gaze across the countryside...we learn how many creatures and who they are we share our world with, who our decisions will impact. This was beautifully done.

[@grahamkearnon6682]

Thank you for a lovely video. I'm located at White Lake in British Columbia, we have these tiny Burrowing Owls at the ranch, they too have the same enemies plus rattle snakes that will NOT enter a nest tunnel. The valley is also home to Great Horned Owls.

[@AishawithanEye]

Last I heard the burrowing owl had been extirpated from BC so that's great to hear that you've seen them!

[@grahamkearnon6682]

@AishawithanEye hi Yes it is good news, there is a breeding program in place that each year puts out more young Owls.

[@AishawithanEye]

@@grahamkearnon6682 that’s great to hear! Do they have a website?

[@shannonspage9360]

What a bunch of cuties. A very adaptive species that can utilize various habitats underground or not. They prefer various forms of “tunneling” either above or below the ground using already created networks of tunneling space. They help to prevent over saturation of other animal populations which could easily occur if left unchecked by nature. They tend to flourish in areas that could be hostile or difficult for other predator species to occupy because of the unusual living space. These guys pack a small but might little punch and can hold up well against seemingly much larger predator species.

[@AishawithanEye]

How is it that they prevent saturation of other animal populations and what kind of "punch" do you think a burrowing owl is capable of and against what kind of larger predator?

[@shannonspage9360]

@@AishawithanEye being a predator and carnivore they help to keep prey numbers in check by eating them. This is the purpose of any predator. Feeder species reproduce quickly in to larger numbers because they have so many losses, this is how their species numbers are kept at balance. Small owl species are incredibly skilled at hunting their target prey species. They do also fly. They have strong legs and talons, they use a stomping motion to immobilize prey with a strong grip and long sharp claws the prey is unable to escape as the talons puncture internal organs and tissues.

[@cyninbend]

Thanks to the farmer for letting the owls have this field for the year. The farmer got a great deal too--these 10 babies and their 2 parents ate a lot of mice and bugs that would damage his crops and multiply frighteningly. He got fewer crops but up to 10 (8 survivors?) more owl families in just one year's time. Will curb the rodent population for years to come. And great to share the neighborhood with!

[@imlistening1137]

Oh, I am so happy to have found your channel!

[@lostsoul1813]

Awesome video. Thank you!

[@beatrizguerrero6969]

Espectacular video de estos hermosos animales, gracias por compartir. Saludos desde México 🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽

[@coldspring624]

Very good

[@richardjohnson5529]

i love all wildlife , but Owls are my favourite bird.

[@samharper4289]

Love the little burrowing owls! My favorite!!! 🥰

[@Dashaina]

This was a wonderful video and my kids enjoyed it too!

[@JonnyDoey]

I have a ton of these burrowing owls and even more ground squirrels in the wash behind my place. They’re good indicators of when the pack of coyotes are coming through with their chirps

[@huh6727]

Bro's got his alive coyote alarm

[@masguapoako]

*I've been videoing a lot of owl species, a lot of long hours waiting but it's worth it*

[@josephsanchez9987]

This is awesome. This must have taken a lot of time and dedication

[@paul9156c]

Great video. Very informative. 👍

[@annaritaranalli1791]

Gorgeous clip and montana shoul be a wonder too

[@Topbirds2222]

Very cute ❤❤❤

[@paul9156c]

I love owls. ❤

[@barryklinedinst6233]

You did a wonderful job with this. Owls are so beautiful. Prairie dogs are awesome as well. Your very lucky to witness that. I am a big bird lover. Where I live we get an owl at night,we hear him call his mate. I feel like a kid when I hear them at 4am. It's awesome. Where is this located?

[@andyschool]

I think Arizona?

[@cyninbend]

Up north--they spoke at the end of where the owls will pass thru on their way south for the winter--Montana, the Dakotas, the mid west prairie states, and down thru Oklahoma and to southern Texas or Mexico for the winter. Then back north to raise families of their own the following spring.

[@susanwest8239]

We had tons of owls in Minnesota

[@aureliagonzalez4339]

"...😄visualizing the evenings hunt."

[@alberesmaia6610]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@donwald3436]

Burrowing owls 🤗

[@MariaPaulino-g8l]

Que. Elmo. Son. Las. Save. Megusta. Ber. Las. Naturalesa. Que. Bellas

[@tahirabanarsi8594]

Speach les about very cute😂

[@tylerwinkle323]

Is there a sequel?

[@AishawithanEye]

I’m trying to figure out how to get the footage of our owls at Burrowing Owl Billows… stay tuned!

[@kalindiadesara5745]

Hello, I am a student from Arizona State University. I am currently working on burrowing owls project at my university and would like to connect with you and talk with you regarding this.

[@kevinxxx8093]

Interesting. Until now I thought the only burrowing owls were found in Florida a few miles north of Miami.

[@AishawithanEye]

There’s the Eastern Burrowing Owl and the Western Burrowing Owl in the US. Burrowing owls can be found from Canada through South America, especially because they’re migratory.

[@1q2w3e4r5t6zism]

Owls = Cats with wings.

[@AishawithanEye]

In Chinese, the word for owl is "cat head bird"

[@cyninbend]

I used to live in a canyon in Santa Clarita. We built a pool and raised spa in our back yard--a weird narrow but very long yard with a huge retaining wall against a hillside...from the upstairs bedroom, you'd see quail in the morning crossing the hill, bunnies eating in the late afternoon... The pool and spa rested against the retaining wall with a planter box running the length, the spa raised with coping forming a bench around it--where our dogs loved to rest on the warm black brick with us in the spa. The pool shimmered dark blue to our right, long and narrow, a round deep end and waterfall...our downhill neighbor's chimney visible over the fence. One night something was sitting on their roof, next to their chimney, watching us. What the heck was it? A white chest, big ears standing tall. It looked 3 feet tall! It just stood or sat there, watching... We got a flashlight, thinking it must be the biggest darn cat in California! As we watched, the truth became clear--thisa was a Great Horned Owl, standing tall. He or she was watching, not us, but our 2 Shih Tzu! Potential dinner! They were very big Shih Tzus, one a genetic throwback to a Tibetan Terrier ancestor, smart like herding dogs, tall, protective...the other very non-alpha, soft, chubby--neither a good bet to carry off from a confined space... Apparently, the owl agreed. But we kept the dogs very close, and they learned to go "sailing" when we went in the pool--they rode an inflatable raft right close while we swam. Another night we realized the owl glided silently close over our heads checking-out the dogs the length of the pool before landing on the chimney. Absolutely silent! Such beautiful animals. We never saw them go after the bunnies in the afternoon--a constant fear as I watched them for months while on bed rest after back fusion surgery. Maybe they got mice attracted to the water in such a dry area...the yard was surrounded by perches because of its long narrow shape, the tall house on one side, the hill on the other. 80 feet of pool, spa, patio cement, surrounded by planter box and plants, trees, bougainvillea, grape vines, roses...easy to pick up a small dark mouse on the white cement. But no shih tzu on the menu...we put them in the house unless we were right next to them once we figured out the predator eying them. Since then, owls are my favorite birds, raptors hold a special fascination.

[@Endermore]

Beetle!

[@czarnaskrzynka8622]

😍😍😍😆😆😆

[@fortunatusnine2012]

🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉

[@wildlifeisthewealthofnatur5457]

Burrowing owls are lucky to not be native to Asian countries especially India where grasslands are considered wastelands. They would had suffered fate like great Indian Bustard. Instead of a population of 2 million, their population would had been merely around 500 if they existed in Asian countries.

[@martinsoule1940]

Jumpin Jesus on a pogo stick...Everybody knows the burrow owl lives in a hole in the ground. Why do you think they call it a burrow owl anyway!!?? Stuart

[@半田朋子-i7y]

号令！号令！号令！

[@annaritaranalli1791]

They seem thumbnails peacocks

[@donwald3436]

Imagine letting fathers teach their children instead of teaching children to hate their fathers...

[@AishawithanEye]

Where did that comment come from?

[@donwald3436]

@@AishawithanEye 1:46 vs modern society

[@AishawithanEye]

@@donwald3436 oh I see! Yes. Us humans can learn a lot from the owls. 🥰

[@lolotaeja3911]

Wow, you really need to get out more often.

[@donwald3436]

@@lolotaeja3911 No doubt, reality is in deep opposition to zoomer philosophy.