European Birds

Strigidae : Owls

Boreal Owl / Tengmalm's Owl

Aegolius funereus

Sumava National Park, Czech Republic - April 2008

This chick was recently fledged and fully capable of flight, but it still preferred sitting on its nest. Long-eared Owls are generally a very shy species and easily disturbed, but this pair had decided to nest in the tamarisk trees just above the entrance station to a busy campsite in the Anza-Borrego desert in southern California so were quite used to people walking about under their nest.