Burrowing Owls (from the Salton Sea area)

kdog · December 3, 2007

So I met up with those crazy LA dudes, Dallas, Riddim_Maker, and Jwear at the Salton Sea again this year. It's so much fun shooting with these guys, and I always learn a lot from them. I had to get home on Sunday, but as far as I know, they're still out there shooting.

We're getting better at spotting those adorable but elusive burrowing owls.

#1

#2 Oops, I think he sees us

#3 Ready to make a move

#4 "What was that noise?"

#5 Had about enough

Thanks for looking,
-joel

Harryb · December 3, 2007

Terrific series Joel.

Awais Yaqub · December 3, 2007

Beautiful shots beautiful Animal

raptorcaptor · December 3, 2007

Excellent shots Joel!

I think they're on to you though!

#4 looks like a muppet peering over the wall!

Maestro · December 3, 2007

Awesome images. I love these guys! Good job!

Ric Grupe · December 3, 2007

Nice images, Joel.

Those last two really cracked me up.:D

kdog · December 3, 2007

Harryb wrote:

Terrific series Joel.

Thanks a bunch, Harry. When I get a "clappy" from you, I know I done good.

-joel

kdog · December 3, 2007

Awais Yaqub wrote:

Beautiful shots beautiful Animal

Thanks, Awais! Glad you liked 'em!

Cheers,
-joel

kdog · December 3, 2007

raptorcaptor wrote:

Excellent shots Joel! I think they're on to you though!
#4 looks like a muppet peering over the wall!

Thanks Glenn! Wow, "clappies" from both you and Harry. Now my head is getting big. :encore

Maybe you'll join us sometime.

Cheers,
-joel

schmoo · December 3, 2007

:lol

Those have got to be the funniest little birds I've ever seen. Thanks for the great captions, too!

dbaker1221 · December 3, 2007

OMG, Joel...great shots!!:ivar funny as hell

BigAl · December 3, 2007

Super shots Joel

That last one is seriously funny

Bud1880 · December 4, 2007

Those would have to brighten even the most somber person's day. Sheesh!

Thanks for sharing those Joel. Great stuff!

Bud

Giphsub · December 4, 2007

I'm making this the last post I look at before hitting the hay! Wanna go to sleep with a grin on my face

Great set

anwmn1 · December 4, 2007

Great work Joel and never get tired of your captions.

I really like the one of two owls but only 1 eye of each.

kdog · December 4, 2007

Maestro wrote:

Awesome images. I love these guys! Good job!

Thanks, Stephen!!

kdog · December 4, 2007

Ric Grupe wrote:

Nice images, Joel.

Those last two really cracked me up.:D

Hey Ric, thanks a bunch. Glad you got a kick out of them.

-joel

kdog · December 4, 2007

schmoo wrote:

:lol

Those have got to be the funniest little birds I've ever seen. Thanks for the great captions, too!

Thanks Schmoo, and I agree. They're great fun to photograph. Just as funny in person as they are in the pictures.

Cheers,
-joel

kdog · December 4, 2007

Thanks David, Big Al, Bud, Mike and Aaron. I really appreciate the comments.

Cheers,
-joel

JohnDC · December 5, 2007

Joel,
Nice shots! But I don't see any of the owls laughing. This must not be the place where you tried to get the owl pic and slid off the road in the slick Salton Sea mud....
John

raptorcaptor · December 5, 2007

kdog wrote:

Maybe you'll join us sometime.

Cheers,
-joel

One of these days! This time around it would have been difficult!

kdog · December 5, 2007

JohnDC wrote:

Joel,
Nice shots! But I don't see any of the owls laughing. This must not be the place where you tried to get the owl pic and slid off the road in the slick Salton Sea mud....
John

:uhoh

Somebody broke the VOW OF SECRECY and is gonna pay. :fish

(besides, it was a falcon)

dallas · December 5, 2007

kdog wrote:

:uhoh

Somebody broke the VOW OF SECRECY and is gonna pay. :fish

(besides, it was a falcon)

You can be sure it wasn't me.......I couldn't survive your wrath.

Great shooting Joel.

JohnDC · December 5, 2007

kdog wrote:

:uhoh

Somebody broke the VOW OF SECRECY and is gonna pay. :fish

(besides, it was a falcon)

Hey, it's a good warning for all the folks here who might go to the Salton Sea. And don't feel bad, I got in trouble there, too. I came within a foot of sliding down a 6 foot embankment into one of the big canals. Very touch and go. The wet mud there is like black ice. 4wd or AWD doesn't make it go away. And the gluey Salton Sea mud wouldn't shake off my rims afterwards. It made my wheels out of balance. I had to blast it off at a self-serve car wash before I cound drive over 50 mph, which is pretty slow for a long trip on California freeways. Everyone else going there: be warned when its wet.

kdog · December 5, 2007

dallas wrote:

You can be sure it wasn't me.......I couldn't survive your wrath. Great shooting Joel.

Thank you, sir! It was a supreme pleasure hanging with you guys once again.

Now let's see what you got from the weekend.

bow

-joel

kdog · December 5, 2007

JohnDC wrote:

Hey, it's a good warning for all the folks here who might go to the Salton Sea. And don't feel bad, I got in trouble there, too. I came within a foot of sliding down a 6 foot embankment into one of the big canals. Very touch and go. The wet mud there is like black ice. 4wd or AWD doesn't make it go away. And the gluey Salton Sea mud wouldn't shake off my rims afterwards. It made my wheels out of balance. I had to blast it off at a self-serve car wash before I cound drive over 50 mph, which is pretty slow for a long trip on California freeways. Everyone else going there: be warned when its wet.

Seriously, John, you're absolutely right, and there is a valuable lesson here to anybody who visits the Salton Sea area after a recent rain.

All we did was pull over onto the shoulder on the side of a main road which had only a very mild slope to it. The shoulder was paved with a layer of dry pea gravel. We were shocked to discover that the gravel was essentially floating on a one-foot-deep layer of the most slick and gooey substance you've ever seen. It's a total set up. The more we tried to drive out of it, the more the car would slide sideways down the slope. And yes, putting the Surburban into 4 wheel drive did nothing to help. We were trapped and had to get towed out.

The guy who towed us out had a special rig for this. He carried a tractor with steel tracks (instead of tires) on the bed of a car-carrier truck. He unloads the tractor, and drives it down to your car, and hauls you out of there with a steel cable. The price? $150. That turned out to be a very expensive lesson that we will never forget. A huge THANK-YOU goes to Russ and William who were in the car with me and offered to split the cost.

After that we headed down to a self-serve carwash and spent a lot of time removing the heavy muck which dries like cement. Honestly, you cannot believe this mud. When you step into it, your shoes become encased and instantly transform your feet into these huge and heavy clown shoes of sticky mud. One local told us it takes two years to get the stuff off.

Ok, folks have been duly warned.

Cheers,
-joel

riddim_maker · December 6, 2007

:lol4 Very funny captions Joel
And excellent captures

It was great hanging out with you also.
BTW, I'll be posting some of my images
once I'm done getting all that mud off of my shoes

MikeMcA² · December 6, 2007

Beauty shots!

And that last guy reminds me of the "Kilroy was here" dude we used to draw in the Army

jwear · December 6, 2007

Joel good seeing you again --and thanks for the drive about

very nice

it was a fun trip and looks like you did really well

good shooting

bfjr · December 6, 2007

You and the Guys had an Adventure for sure :wow

Cool shots as well

Cracker · December 6, 2007

Fantastic images, and the way you captured the sharpness and clarity of the owl's eyes is truly amazing. WOW!!!

Graham

Burrowing Owls (from the Salton Sea area)

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