You watchin’ me?
I think it’s watchin’ us, dude.

Don’t like it. Gonna stare it down. Make it leave.
It’s not leavin’. Why’s it not leavin’?

Wha’cha doin’, you guys?
Tryna chase this thing away. Give it the hard stare.
It’s not leavin’.
I know. Why’s it not leavin’?
Dunno.

Maybe it can’t fly.
It got here somehow. Just gonna sit here till it goes.
‘K.

How long we gonna sit here?
As long as it takes.
How long’s that?
It takes as long as it takes.
‘K.

•••

Small, sandy-colored burrowing owls live underground in burrows they’ve dug themselves in grasslands, deserts and other open habitats where they primarily hunt insects and rodents. Wyoming photographer Pete Arnold set up a GoPro camera to shoot at regular intervals on the edge of a nest of burrowing owls near Cheyenne, and, among thousands of images, a trio recorded this memorable selfie on June 28, 2024.