It’s an all too common occurrence.  The location is Anytown, USA.  The time is an hour after sunset just days before the Vernal Equinox.  The skies are clear and a crescent hangs in the distance.  The streets are partially illuminated with the radiance of every other lamp; casting a pattern of light, dark, light, dark, and so on.  Traffic is absent as are the houses, as are the people.  Fossorial life appears extirpated, but evidence of their existence persists in the form of divots  and memories. The grasses have sprung into action due to recent rains, and during daylight the downed vegetation will undoubtedly highlight the route used to access a landscape that has managed to become another instance of habitat lost.

Photographs of years gone by prove the burrowing owls predate man’s activities on this site.  Yet we are so eager to dismiss such claims in the name of progress.  And we are so eager to declare that the surrounding 800 acres was unsuitable burrowing owl habitat and that no such species of special concern was found amongst the impending sprawl.  But now that matters not as the next scheduled development in Anytown is prepped and owl free.

A street light flickers overhead and an object lies motionless in the gutter.  Upon approach the lamp dims, concealing the remains in the shadows.  A mobile phone illuminates the specimen and fear is quelled.  Not a burrowing owl.  Most unfortunate for the rabbit, but the predator dined well that night.  A glance down the road’s horizon reveals a figurine standing tall in an intersection.  I can recognize the posture and the silhouette; I’ve seen it a thousand times from dawn to dusk to night.  The burrowing owl stands firm, only swiveling its head to watch my passing.  He eventually runs across the pavement and I lose him in the patchwork of darkness.   I scan the area for movement, perhaps something adorning a fire hydrant, a gas line, a pipe, a street sign.  Nothing. 

A soft voice flows down the blacktop, “It’s right beside you.”  And on the corner of Anystreet I find myself 6 feet from the incredible raptor, moments before taking flight and settling on the street yet again.  We observe from a distance.  Erratic movements along the street and sidewalk.  It ducks under overhanging mustard, leaps onto a gas line breaching the soil and awaiting connection to an eventual home, darts to the convergence of concrete and dirt, and repeats the episode.  Frustrated and clearly confused, our hearts are broken for the wayward owl.  It tries desperately to discover shelter, revisiting the locations where burrows once provided protection.

In the distance a lone plexiglass door blocks an entrance.  When one goes out, they cannot get back in.  It all makes sense.  The owl has lost its only home.  It has nowhere to go.  Should the eviction device be removed uncover of night or would that potentially doom the owl to being buried alive?  When morning comes would the hole simply be backfilled by returning consultants?  Although quite torn, the one-way door is left intact.  Now it’s a battle against predation, it’s a battle for survival, and it must defend itself without a shield.  Such is the life of the declining western burrowing owl in Anytown, USA.

I can’t seem to have it both ways.  It’s simply a matter of fact that I have been left with choosing between partially undeveloped land that is on the road to becoming a neighborhood blight and a housing tract that will force the mitigation of a California species of special concern.  And when I say choosing I absolutely have no control over the outcome, but is actually limited to a personal thought on what I would ultimately like to see happen with this property. 

Firstly, a few years back just prior to the housing bubble explosion, the land in question was prepped for future housing through the installation of paved roads, sidewalks, street lights, and all the usual things needed to feed a house with water and electricity.  But, before all of the land had been transformed into a functioning neighborhood, the builder ceased development for all the reasons dominating the news over the last year or so.

For me, all was well and good because over time wildlife returned to this partially undeveloped fenced acreage that was now a suitable place to observe local wildlife in action. Coyotes, rabbits, burrowing owls, ground squirrels, hawks, kestrels, and the list goes on, it was actually a beacon in a rather dreary economic mess as it afforded me a personal wildlife refuge in walking distance from my home.And for just about 2 years now my private refuge was secure, that is until the chain link fence was removed due to a transfer in ownership from one developer to another.  The once protected habitat was now open to the public and the burrowing owls that stood watch in the middle of the streets were now dodging cars, off-roading vehicles and curious dogs.

As time is moving forward, apparently this paved unmanned land is now attracting all sorts of illicit activities and upsetting a population of at least 5 pairs of nesting burrowing owls. Formerly protected from traffic, many of the burrows are now directly in harm’s way as they are adjacent to the street in a patch of dirt separating the blacktop from the sidewalk.  And yes the situation is ruffling my feathers.

Illegal dumping, graffiti, alcohol, sex, fireworks, street racing, off-roading and all the other usual suspects are infiltrating this area because of its remoteness and protection from prying eyes.  The word is obviously getting out that the partially functioning streetlights provide the perfect opportunity to conduct oneself inappropriately under the shadows of the night in an otherwise new and clean neighborhood.  Not to mention, since the removal of the surrounding fence the wildlife activity has been on a sharp decline, except for the burrowing owls that are in the midst of rearing young.

And as I posed in the beginning, I am left with wondering what I would rather have: More housing and no burrowing owls, or a pseudo burrowing owl habitat that is in the beginning stages of being plagued by those who do not care about the aesthetics of their city let alone the wildlife.

With a few additional letters in the ready for the city, police department, project manager, and California Department of Fish and Game, perhaps I can get more action to protect the people and owls alike.

I’ll continue to provide updates as well as my latest observations on the owls.  In fact, just this weekend I came across 4 additional owls that I had not previously observed.

For my other post concerning a different group of burrowing owls, check out Burrowing Owls and Manifest Destiny.