Helping the Valley’s Burrowing Owl survive
Until a few decades ago, California’s Burrowing Owl had a thriving population.
But these days the Burrowing Owl is in trouble, its population severely decreased by loss of habitat and other threats. It’s currently on the “species of concern” list, the last stage before being considered an endangered species.
The Burrowing Owl was once a common sight in Sonoma Valley, but its last recorded nesting site hereabouts was in 1985 on Scaggs Island.
Luckily for the Burrowing Owl — and us — the nation’s #1 birder, Sonoma resident Tom Rusert, has pulled together a consortium of organizations, including Sonoma Birding, Sonoma Land Trust and the Burrowing Owl Conservation Network, to construct artificial habitat for the owl.
Unlike other owls, the Burrowing Owl makes its nest underground, often in abandoned rodent burrows. In the first phase of the consortium’s habitat project, artificial owl burrows are being established on private and public land in six Sonoma Valley locations.
Here are a few related photos, courtesy of Tom Rusert:
All three groups, along with youths from the AmeriCorps summer conservation program, gathered July 14 at Sears Point to help install an owl burrow. The tubes limit the number of potential predators that could disrupt the owls and the distance gives them time to escape out the other entrance. These kids are being briefed by the network’s founder Scott Artis about how the habitat will function.
Scott Artis and Tom Rusert at one of the two entrances to the buried burrowing habitat; it has two 4-inch diameter, 12-foot long entries that gradually slope down and connect into a buried half barrel.
A good day’s work by the whole team.
Note the long legs of the Burrowing Owl; this is an atypical trait among owls.
Download a copy of the Burrowing Owl Conservation Network’s July-September newsletter, which contains an article about burrow habitat construction in Sonoma.
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My husband’s ranch has burrowing owls. The family is in a dispute over the sale of the land with other family relatives. I hope that the ranch is not split and that the habitat will be protected. The opposing party has damaged the ranch in Valley ford in many ways. I hope that there is something that can be done to protect them.
Me, too. You might think of contacting Tom Rusert of Sonoma Birding for advice —
sonomanature@gmail.com. I’ll alert him to your comment.
Cape Coral Florida has more burrowing owls than any other town/city in the USA …2500 nests. There are 2 ‘habitats’ on my short street.
Cape Coral, Florida, U.S.A. – Volunteers spent part of their Memorial Day weekend sprucing up the homes of some of Cape Coral’s most distinguished residents: burrowing owls.
The work had more than aesthetic value. The volunteers Saturday trimmed the tall grass in front of burrowing owl nests, giving predators no place to hide and pounce on the small birds when they leave their holes in the ground.
”When they come out of their burrows, they need to see if there are any predators around,” said Lori Blydenburgh, a city planning technician.
The animals who most like to make meals out of the owls are cats and hawks, Blydenburgh said.
But monitor lizards, which also inhabit Cape Coral, and dogs find the birds tasty, said Michael Orchin, president of the Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife.
The problem is that the rainy season started early this year, and grass and weeds near many of the 2,500 burrows in Cape Coral are 3 to 4 feet tall, giving the predators a good place to hide and wait for the owls, Orchin said.
The wildlife organization has more than 100 volunteers to help trim the grass short near the nests, but they need more help, Orchin said.
That’s where the Take Pride In the Cape volunteers stepped forward to help. That organization mows lots at foreclosed homes around the city. They have mowed more than 200 lots so far this year.
So on Saturday, during their regular lot mowing duty, the volunteers cut the grass in front of two large burrowing owl nests on a vacant lot on Southwest 8th Place, said Sue Porreca, the secretary for the Friends of Wildlife.
While the volunteers were mowing, ”the owls were perched on the rooftop of a nearby house watching them. They watch everything going on around them,” Porreca said.
Ray Nicholson, who coordinates the Take Pride In The Cape program, said the volunteers will continue to mow grass in front of burrowing owl nests. ”It’s going to be a continuing thing. Whenever we come across a nest, we’ll clip the grass and let the Friends of Wildlife know,” he said.
The burrowing owls receive special attention in Cape Coral.
The burrowing owl is the official city bird. A Burrowing Owl Festival is held annually. The birds even have a protected nest on the grounds of police headquarters.
Although the Friends of Wildlife appreciates the help from the Take Pride In The Cape workers this past weekend, more volunteers are needed to help keep the grass mowed at other nests throughout Cape Coral, Porreca said.
She said people with owls living near their homes can sign up for the organization’s Adopt A Burrow program
More…may I commend Michael Orchin, Pres/head of Cape Coral Friends of Wild Life. Gave him a call two years ago about a nest next to the road on our street…he was here next day, put up a sign for the owls and the usual ‘crossed sticks’ for their perch. Site has been maintained since.
Dear JB Ross – Fabulous read about all the work you folks in Cape Coral are doing with the Burrowing Owl (and I’ll bet plenty of other species as well). It’s wonderful that locals there are so involved in helping them survive. A little frightening to think of being eaten by a monitor lizard… That “Adopt a Burrow” program sounds like a great idea; maybe we could do that here in Sonoma Valley.
We are actually the Conservation Corps North Bay, only 2 of us happen to be AmeriCorps members. All of the kids are part of Conservation Corps North Bay’s summer program, Project Regeneration for 6-9th grade youth.
Love those owls!! Happy that we can do something to help them survive in Sonoma!
Thank you for the info and the pics.