These Burrowing Owlets were seeking respite from the 111° heat today. They felt comfortable enough to come about 25 feet from their burrow and sit in the shade by me. The Owlets are growing up now, and you can see they are almost as large as the adults. Burrowing Owls are about the size of a Robin, but with waaay better legs. Check out TheJeremyJohnson.com and custom printing by request🤙🏼 | Jeremy Johnson Photography

The burrowing owl isn't your average owl: It doesn't live in trees, and it's not nocturnal. It makes its nest underground — usually in abandoned rodent burrows — and is active both day and night. Once widespread in California and commonly nested in grasslands throughout low elevation areas of the state, these owls are in danger of being wiped out. Human population explosion has reduced the charismatic western burrowing owl's breeding populations by more than 60 percent, and counting. So this wee