Public coordinates shown as a random point within 10KM of the true coordinates. True coordinates are only visible to you and the curators of projects to which you add the observation.
private
Coordinates completely hidden from public maps, true coordinates only visible to you and the curators of projects to which you add the observation.
open
Everyone can see the coordinates unless the taxon is threatened.
Description
The owl seemed to prefer the ground; I think it was guarding a nest (and if so, it was doing a horrible job). Upon my arrival, the bird hopped onto a branch. The owl was about 10 inches tall. See the photograph for more detail. FYI - my geographic placement is not entirely correct. The sighting was somewhere around Weldon Peak, but I can't remember the details.
I'd say Burrowing Owl, possibly a juvie, or a very, very worn adult. Looks small, no vertical streaking like a screech owl might have, and the behavior and timing sound about right. These owls nest in abandoned burrows (I think they occasionally did their own, too), and the parents guard the burrow. When the kids hatch, I believe they stick around for a little while. They also tend to be pretty brave / fearless / stupid around this time, so you can get close. This has been my experience with them in the Bay Area, at least.
The data quality assessment is a summary of an observation's accuracy. All
observations start as "casual" grade, and achieve
"research" grade when
the iNat community agrees with the observer's ID, where an "agreeing"
identification is one that matches exactly or is of a child taxon of the
observer's ID. For example, if Scott says it's a mammal and Ken-ichi
says it's Homo sapiens, then Ken-ichi agrees with Scott.
the observation has a date
the observation is georeferenced (i.e. has lat/lon coordinates)
the observation has a photo
Observations will revert to "casual" grade if the above conditions aren't met or
the community agrees the location doesn't looks accurate (e.g. monkeys in the middle of the ocean, hippos in office buildings, etc.)
the community agrees the organism isn't wild/naturalized (e.g. captive or cultivated by humans or intelligent space aliens)
Comments & Identifications
I'd say Burrowing Owl, possibly a juvie, or a very, very worn adult. Looks small, no vertical streaking like a screech owl might have, and the behavior and timing sound about right. These owls nest in abandoned burrows (I think they occasionally did their own, too), and the parents guard the burrow. When the kids hatch, I believe they stick around for a little while. They also tend to be pretty brave / fearless / stupid around this time, so you can get close. This has been my experience with them in the Bay Area, at least.
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