Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) - California

In November, I was in Los Angeles, California visiting with a good friend and was inviting to a "coursing" event.  I went along to photograph the dogs which were pure breed greyhounds.  I'll post a note about this shortly. 

The coursing event was an all day affair and was run on a property some 150 mile north west of LA.  The dogs and hunters covered a lot of ground on what I would call arid land; there was a lot of dirt and a heck of a lot of dust.  The day was warm and temperatures hovered around the 90 degree F mark.  As the day progressed I would troll after the dogs photographing the events as they transpired. 

What really excited me was when I observed this Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) in his/her burrow with only its head protruding.  I waited outside the burrow for about an hour lying in the dust and dirt with my camera at the ready.  Eventually, the owl became curious, came out of the burrow and "pranced about" in front of my camera for about 30 minutes or so.  It was rare treat and one I thoroughly enjoyed.  At one stage the owl was so close to me that my 70-200 f2.8 lens would not focus!

To make things even better, all this happened relaytively late in the afternoon approaching "golden hour" when the environment is lit by a beautful golden glow.

ABOVE:  Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) stands in front of burrow.

Yellow Foots Thin On The Ground Today

Not much happening today wildlife wise, so I concentrated on obtaining some landscape and environmental shots.

The landscapes in the Flinders are stunning.  Red and orange rock cliffs that are flacked by dry watercourses with magnificent river red gums growing along the banks.  The sky is usually a strong vobrant blue that is common in high latitude desert environments.

It appears my NO 2 battery has died, so running the laptop and charging camera batteries from the vehicle is not possible. I will need to be careful using the NO 1 battery for accessory use as diesel vehicles require a good zap of battery power to start them - and a landcruiser does not have a hand crank and is very heavt to push start.

This is my last night at this location. After the morning shoot tomorrow, I depart for another location south of here. Hopefully, I will see some adults at this new location. I have only seen juveniles and sub adults here, although I did observe a few larger males higher up on the talus slope out of reach. As for tonight I will spend a few hours doing star trails....

Dusty Conditions

An early wake up at 530 AM and a short scramble to ensure I was in place for the early morning light. I want to capture the yellow foots as they made their way back up the slope to their daytime hides.

I'm particularly careful when photographing wild animals that I do not approach too close, which can cause undue stress and alarm. The desert environment is boom and bust - and energy used unwisely can cause potential shortcomings later on. Wet conditions are boom times and all wildlife profits, however, as soon as drought kicks in, only the strongest and most hardy survive.

The days here are quite warm with temperatures in the early 90s (30C). The wallabies hide from the harsh conditions in their rock shelters as photographers hide in their vehicle. The time between shoots (9AM and 3PM) I clean and service equipment, make meals, sleep, read, and reconnoiter new locations.

My base camp on this trip is nowhere fancy - in fact it isn't really a nice camping place at all; it was selected for its proximity to the talus slopes. It's along a dry creek bed and I parked alongside some river gums. Note I said alongside and not underneath; camping beneath river gums is foolhardy, as changes in temperature can cause tree limbs to fall. Several campers have been killed by falling tree branches in the past!

The biggest hassle I have encountered on this trip is photographing in extreme dusty conditions. I mean there is dust on everything and inside everything - and my vehicle is air conditioned and relatively well sealed! The dust has been made worse by a continual 5-10 knot wind which continually blows. At times during the day, the vehicle is buffeted as the wing gusts to 20 knots. Thank goodness it stops in the evening. Keeping digital camera sensors clean is a nightmare and I try to not change lenses if possible, instead relying on the use of 3 bodies with different focal lengths - more to carry in the field, but less work cleaning and dust spotting images during post processing.

Despite there being a multitude of camp sites available, every site captures the wind at some stage during the day, and the dust is impartial - it goes everywhere.  The dry rivercourse above is where I spent my entire time when shooting this assignment.

Photographing this afternoon appeared to a waste of time, until I observed a juvenile and mother amongst the cassarina trees. I also noted two sub adults mating higher on the slope, however, obtaining a clean shot of "mating behaviour" was impossible. The two wallabies in the trees were feeding on flowers located amongst the rocks. Due to the high amount of dust in the air clear images were not possible so I took solace in watching instead!

That night I listened to bats swooping low overhead feeding upon insects. I also heard several wallabies scurrying across the rocky creek bed in search of better food on the opposite bank.

Challenging Environment - No Turkey Shoot

The yellow foots are right there - not 30 yards. The light is perfect and it looks like an easy shot. Think again, as this is no turkey shoot.

I have to maneuver myself into a suitable position by jostling amongst the rocks, being careful not to fall from the 45 degree slope. The tripod must be placed securely because the light is low and a slow shutter speed will be used. Then there are the cassarina trees and the dead branches and logs that seem to be located in the most annoying places - like right in front of the lens!

I have to position myself so as to remove these annoying obstructions as no one wants an image of wallaby with a tree growing from its head! 7/10 times after all this moving here and there, the wallaby bounds away apparently tired of your sideshow antics. Add to this a very short time envelope due to the sun setting and minimal light (the location is a easterly facing cliff and the sun sets behind the cliff.) However, with patience (and time) a successful shot can be accomplished.

The image at left really does not to the region justice, but the yellow foots hang out on the ledge you can see.  To photograohy them you must drag yourslef and equipment up onto the ledges and around the base of the rocks.

Departing Port Augusta for Yellow Foot Territory

Leaving Port Augusta I went north through the small towns of Quorn and Hawker. I like Quorn and on previous trips to this region have always stopped to explore the many old buildings and visit some of the art galleries. The train station in Quorn is of particular interest as it was used in the 1980's Australian movie "Gallipoli" staring the upcoming Mel Gibson.

Port Augusta is a dry town - in more than one way. Beware as the local constabulary pwho atrol the city seeking offenders!

I found this sign warning of the train interesting. The sign had been there for so long that the harsh desert sunlight had caused all the white paint to crack away.

However, this trip I have a date with a rock wallaby and I want to be on location by evening light. Whilst "sucking the miles" I observed that the terrain is a lot more greener than what it was in 2007 - no doubt there had been rain not so long ago. Green shrubs and vibrant red gums has replaced the dead vegetation I remember in 2007.