Blades of grass carpet areas off the same beaten path, a green heron fishes for prey along a familiar stretch of Alhambra Creek, a peddler’s fair again echoes in the background, and the calendar is once more honoring Caesar Augustus.  At first it’s a semblance of déjà vu, but in reality the seasons have made a full rotation and I find myself amongst a crowd of familiar faces.  Met with smiles, I embark upon a little reminiscing, networking, updating and greeting; the topic is still burrowing owls but significant strides have been made since the year was nine. 

I’m still just your neighbor, your friend, and that guy looking to protect burrowing owls.  But the circle encompassing my passions has grown from a local husband and wife project to something a little more in depth as we have connected with likeminded individuals.  As happened those many months before, we accepted an invitation to the Martinez Beaver Festival, but this time we are more than curious bystanders seeking information and advice from those already in the wildlife conservation mix.  As it turns out, we have joined the ranks and become purveyors of wildlife information. It seems a full circle has been reached, but it is merely a milestone along a lengthy path. The great thing about a circle is that upon its completion one is always poised to begin yet another journey.  Or continue with one.

It was a day designed to celebrate the contribution of beavers towards maintaining and creating ecosystems.  A day to celebrate the success of Worth A Dam’s efforts to save a misunderstood species.  It may have been the third in an annual event, but it was a day of firsts for the Burrowing Owl Conservation Network.  Our project had just been adopted by Earth Island Institute and we were ready to share our information and booth with the world…well, the Bay Area at any rate.  The crowds were steady and the interest high.  And before I knew it 5 hours had disappeared and I had not even left the confines of my 10×10 space.  I may have missed much of the festivities and failed to visit all the other booths and groups, but I did not miss out on the opportunity to share the story about a little owl that defies traditional owl logic (i.e. nocturnal tree dwellers) and has managed to fade from common knowledge just as it has been fading from our landscapes in California.

But the weekend action was not limited to those on the coastal side of the bridges.  Larry Jordan, Burrowing Owl Conservation Network’s Habitat Manager and author of The Birder’s Report, had an opportunity to visit a colony residing at the Wildhorse Gold Club in Davis, California.  I could attempt to describe the scene, but justice could never be found in words as his photos and video show the success of creative planning and suburban habitat protection.  It’s a practice that we hope becomes the status quo for California’s burrowing owls.

There’s definitely a lot of work to do but fortunately for us there are a lot of supporters willing to lend a hand and help promote a little burrowing owl conservation.  I’m grateful to have all of you traveling with me because as I see it moving in circles is not always a bad thing; especially when one is striving to complete a full circle and reunite burrowing owl populations with stability.

Tags: Burrowing Owl Conservation Network, burrowing owls, Martinez Beaver Festival

This entry was posted by Scott on Tuesday, August 10th, 2010 at 10:27 am and is filed under birds, conservation, Owls. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.