American Kestrel Portrait ~ This smallest of the North American falcons, the kestrel is one of my favorites. This is a male; a female would be all brown. Hawkwatch, Ramona Grasslands.
Burrowing Owl Family ~ This happy family lives in the Imperial Valley of California, near the Salton Sea. They live in burrows in the banks of the agricultural irrigation ditches along the farm fields. This group appeared to have at least three holes they would disappear into.
Burrowing Owl Looks Back ~ I just spent the weekend birding at Salton Sea, and saw over 90 species of birds. One was a family of Burrowing Owls that I found by a roadway. I took way too many pics of them, and this is just one of the more cooperative owls. They manage to show a lot of expression on their cute faces, and I like them a lot.