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Went out to the Salton Sea a few weeks ago where normally near the end of July it is sunny and blazing hot, like 108F or above. But we had an unheard of in July monsoon rain come in (some years starts near the last of August) and give us more rain in 1 day than in the last 18 months, only 1.4 inches, yes... it is a desert!
At this time of the year most of the larger waterfowl are gone, but you can always count on seeing Burrowing Owls, as about 70% of California's total population of these owls lives here. For those that don't know, the owls actually dig into the earth to make a cave and hatch young there. At the Salton Sea southern end are hundreds of farming tracts surrounded by concrete ditches that have water flowing to pump into the fields. The owls dig into the dirt supporting these ditches and thus have a close and consistent source of water.
The parent owls and their just learning to fly siblings were all out enjoying the cool weather and rain. Saw over 20 pairs that had from 1 to 3 siblings. I shoot at base ISO, and the IBIS & IS did a great job here, keeping the camera steady. 4 of the 5 photos are with the MC-14 added.
Juvenile testing his wings, starting to rain
Both have new feather at a odd angle in the same place
Parent sitting on sluice gate handle
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