I love it when a plan comes together and I am even more thrilled when volunteers have an opportunity to see the fruits of their labor.  Although this story and more photos will be included in our upcoming newsletter, I just couldn’t pass up the chance to share some good news with everyone.  During our October 22, 2011 event to expand habitat in Sonoma, CA (a partnership between Sonoma Land Trust and Sonoma Birding), volunteers were given a firsthand glimpse into the life of Burrowing Owls, who could now be seen enjoying the safety of homes installed in mid-July. 

It was a perfect opportunity for people donating their weekend to Burrowing Owls to actually see conservation in action, and it reiterated the need for suitable habitat to aid this declining species.   Through our partnerships and the incredible hard work of those who joined us in Sonoma, we were able to install an additional 4 artificial burrows. And we can’t wait for more owls!

Burrowing Owl Box Installation Workparty
Saturday October 22nd, 9am-Noon

Please join us at the Sears Point Ranch (near Lakeville Hwy & Hwy 37) in a regional effort to lure the declining western burrowing owl back to Sonoma County for breeding.  This charismatic owl often winters here but leaves to breed.  Together with Sonoma Land Trust, Sonoma Birding, the Burrowing Owl Conservation Network, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, we aim to change that. Moderately strenuous work will include digging with shovels and picks. Although the soils are hard, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has made the job easier by pre-drilling the burrows.  For more information or to sign-up, please email: volunteer@sonomalandtrust.org.

There’s a burgeoning city on the outskirts of the east San Francisco Bay Area.  It’s an agricultural mecca that in the last decade or so has discovered what an infusion of dollars from people fleeing exorbitant costs of living on the opposite sides of the bay can do to a rural setting.  It’s a city that is famous for America’s number one field crop and appropriately holds on to an iconic festival celebrating corn.  It’s a place where just down the road past the cornfields and orchards one can find a handful of dirt on the floor fruit and vegetable stands.  It’s a location that draws visitors aching for a bygone era when local food was indeed local, and picking out peaches did not involve a grocery store.  The city is Brentwood and it is a vital component to maintaining a Burrowing Owl population in the Bay Area.  When combined with Antioch, Oakley, Livermore and other outlying municipalities, they indeed make a case that this is the Bay Area’s Burrowing Owl stronghold.

But with the arrival of dollars and people, agricultural land and open spaces that once dominated the landscape are finding themselves transformed from suitable habitat to hardscapes that force Burrowing Owls to eke out a living in parking lots, along highways and even in the future site of the next peddler at the local mall.

Strip malls attract people which in turn draw in cars like a magnet.  I wish I could say the following was a hypothetical situation crafted to make a point, but sadly it has become reality.  In the case of the Streets of Brentwood, Burrowing Owls produced a family next to a two lane road that connects the mall’s parking lot to the main street.  As I’m sure you can surmise, juvenile Burrowing Owls learning to fly have become fodder for speeding cars.  After a heartbreaking incident, I met with management to propose the installation of caution signs as a means to remind patrons to slow down and be on the watch for low flying Burrowing Owls. 

Thanks to Jane Reid, General Manager of The Streets of Brentwood, the mall paid for and installed two caution signs on August 19th as a way to help safeguard the owls.  Since the installation, we are accident free!

I and the Burrowing Owl Conservation Network are excited to have their support and that of the many residents who were helping us keep an eye on these owls.  We are looking forward to working with this business in the future.

As you may recall, in April I rescued a Burrowing Owl who had become trapped in the rafters of Mainland in the Streets of Brentwood.  The quick thinking conservation-minded staff made a big difference for this owl who was returned to his burrow.  You can read the story and see the pictures HERE.

Copyright Johanna van de Woestijne

SHORELINE, MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA: Bird photography exhibit and discussion will be held at Rengstorff House on Thursday, September 15 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m., a “Bird Photography: Initiation, Engagement, Equipment and Ethics”

An opening reception will be held to provide recognition to participating photographers and engage the public. Following an opportunity to view the photos on display, a one hour panel discussion on the topic will begin at 7:00 p.m. Participating panelists include: Lisa Myers of Let’s Go Birding; Patricia Rouzer, photographer and Former Board Member, San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory; Luis Villablanca, Mountain View resident and amateur photographer, as well as Phil Higgins, Shoreline at Mountain View’s Burrowing Owl Specialist. No advanced registration is necessary. Members of the general public are encouraged to wear layered clothing, as a portion of the event will be held outdoors.

Antioch, CA (July 26, 2011) – Burrowing Owl Conservation Network has been awarded a grant for the manufacture of four interpretive signs to be installed at the 24-acre Prewett Family Park Burrowing Owl Habitat Preserve in Antioch, CA.  The Board of Supervisors approved the Fish and Wildlife Committee’s recommendation for dispersal of grant funds from the Contra Costa County Fish and Wildlife Propagation Fund, which is entirely supported by fine revenues resulting from violations of Fish and Game Code.

This newly created wildlife and habitat preserve has a number of designated pedestrian access trails that allow and encourage visitors to observe from a distance burrowing owls, other raptors and wildlife that inhabit this suburban grassland ecosystem year-round.

“As burrowing owls are a California Species of Special Concern and have witnessed steep declines in the San Francisco Bay Area and California, we believe community education and outreach is a vital part of their survival and protection of their habitat. We have found many people are unaware of the existence of burrowing owls, have never seen them in the wild, or are simply unaware that Contra Costa County is fortunate to have them as year-round residents,” said Scott Artis, Executive Director of Burrowing Owl Conservation Network.

“As such, these signs will provide species and habitat information and will be used to inform visitors and complement a museum-quality burrowing owl diorama and educational program that we are currently raising much needed funds for.”

The interpretive signs will serve as a means by which the value of protecting, conserving, and preserving wildlife and habitat can be passed on to county residents and visitors.  Because burrowing owls rely on fossorial mammals (e.g. ground squirrels) for the construction of their burrows, the four interpretive signs will also highlight the interdependency between species and demonstrate the value of protecting functioning ecosystems. 

For more information and to donate, please visit http://burrowingowlconservation.org and indicate that you would like your donation designated to the Prewett Family Park Burrowing Owl Habitat Preserve.

The Urban Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia urbanus) is increasingly finding itself under anthropogenic expansionist pressures.  As a result, once fertile habitat is being lost as the invasive Concrete coverupus and Asphalte disruptus continue to encroach throughout North America.  As traditional habitat shrinks we [society] wonder why this species would choose to occupy landscapes clearly ordained for development.  There’s a simple solution if we want to coexist, but at the moment classifying this species as a mere pest makes short-term monetary sense.  Sustainable development anyone?

The next time you see any empty lot or a neighborhood in the beginning stages of development, keep your eyes open as you just may encounter the amenable, unique, inquisitive and endangered Urban Burrowing Owl. Visit Burrowing Owl Conservation Network for information.

With a number of documentaries hitting theaters, NatGeo, Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and so forth over the past few years, I imagine most of us have now encountered the renowned courtship behaviors of the male Bowerbird.  As seen in the photo, they take on a fairly unique approach that may include rocks, plastics, shells, sticks and other brightly colored objects in an attempt to woo the fairer sex.  But with a travel distance of over 8,000 miles and a hectic schedule, planning a trip down under to experience the antics of Bowerbirds first hand is a few years away.  So I thought…

(Bowerbird) Credit: Ron_n_Beth, http://www.flickr.com/photos/doc44/

After a prolonged date with destiny that is now approaching 3 years, my wife and I stepped into a suburban open space to rendezvous with nature as we have done so many times before.  It was during a nighttime walk four months back that we crossed paths with a Burrowing Owl who returned to a patch of land sandwiched between all the fixings of suburbia. From that first sighting, we made it routine to stop by for a short visit and even celebrated the appearance of his mate.  

And that’s when the species line between Bowerbird and Burrowing Owl began to blur.  Sure we have seen plenty of owls decorating burrows with dried frogs, trash, foil, bones, and even dog and coyote dung, but this particular male took design to a meticulous level as he created an ornate burrow entrance complete with hardwood floors made of bark.

North America’s Western Burrowing Owl may not be quite at the same level as the Bowerbird in terms of design aptitude, but they should definitely take notice that there’s an up and coming contractor taking the stage in the world of birds.  Here are a few other burrow pictures for the design portfolio. Enjoy!

Check out the dried frogs. We counted 15 in all decorating this burrow entrance.

It’s still not too late to join us for either of these events in Lincoln, CA on June 8th and the 15th…

During the month of June volunteers can join Placer Land Trust, Defenders of Wildlife and Burrowing Owl Conservation Network at our Lincoln Preserves to install artificial burrow systems for the Western Burrowing Owl.  Click the maps to enlarge for more details and directions.

On April 17th the Burrowing Owl Conservation Network (BOCN) joined forces with Defenders of Wildlife, Sonoma Birding and volunteers for an Earth Day inspired event to initiate a plan to restore much needed breeding habitat for burrowing owls in Sonoma County.  With a grant from the Redwood Region Ornithological Society, BOCN purchased the raw materials and constructed artificial burrows on a privately owned ranch in Southern Sonoma.

Although burrowing owls use Sonoma as wintering grounds, the last reported successful breeding pair was recorded in 1986 on Skaggs Island.  The location of this restoration project provides an ideal area by which burrows can be established along an open space corridor that will involve the assistance of local wineries and land owners for the benefit of these native California raptors.

The support and cooperation of land owners is essential for the restoration of burrowing owls in Sonoma and other counties throughout the state.  The enthusiasm we received for this first of many Sonoma projects will undoubtedly serve as a model for other individuals, land owners and wineries looking to make a difference for declining burrowing owl populations.

In November 2010, I found evidence in the form of whitewash and feathers of burrowing owls who were exploring the ranch for available burrows.  Unfortunately, the lack of natural burrows and ground excavating mammals meant the owl(s) had little choice but to move along in search of suitable habitat.  Now that artificial burrows have been installed we will be ready for owls that migrate through Sonoma during the winter.  Because California is considered the most important state for migrating burrowing owls during the wintertime, protecting and restoring habitat can aid dwindling populations in our state, but Oregon, Washington and Canada as well.