Howdy Birds

Burrowing owl are by far one of my favorite animals to work with, aside from the fact that they are incredibly cute, they are highly intelligent creatures. Let's learn more about them as I discuss their characteristic traits, habitat types, threats to their survival, as well as, conservation and field efforts involved in protecting them.

Originally termed "howdy birds" by cowgirls back in the day, they are notorious for "greeting" you at the front of their burrow during early dawn hours. Known for their long legs and nocturnal habits, they tend to roam around during the day and nest underground at night during breeding season. The females care for their young for the first two weeks and then begin hunting alongside the male until the juveniles are weened at 6 weeks. Often times the pair will only have one brood and sometimes 2 broods in places like Florida. 

The burrowing owl occur only in North America, populating varying habitat types, like in prairie lands in the Midwest and desert regions in the southwest. Their habitat is characterized by low lying vegetation where burrows are necessary for their survival. The burrow is an essential component of their habitat and is first created by fossorial animals, like ground squirrels or American badgers. 

Although one of the smallest owl species, the burrowing owl is tough, intelligent and adaptable. For example, based on my own field surveys I have found that often times they will inhabit disturbed environments or manmade structures, like in agricultural farm areas or at airports. They chose to reside in these habitats because the cleared area gives them a visual advantage to view predators on the hunt. They will also inhabit other unnatural structures, like cement coverts or wood debris piles. 

Despite surviving well in developed areas, their natural prairie habitats are on the decline. Specifically in southern California, there has been over 90% loss of their primary grassland region habitat. Urban and solar development of grassland and desert regions is one of their greatest threats to survival. As development continues, their habitat becomes increasingly fragmented and reduced to becoming unsuitable. Not to worry though, conservation efforts of these animals are well underway! 

Burrowing owl are state listed in California as threatened as well as federally recognized as threatened. In southern California, 70% of the population resides in Imperial Valley, with about 4,000 breeding pairs. Specifically in San Diego County, the local burrowing owl population is at risk of going extinct due to loss of grassland habitat. With that being said, there are research efforts led by the San Diego Zoo, San Diego Audubon Society and US Fish and Wildlife to determine what habitat areas are safe from development and suitable to translocate owls to. 

In fact, National Geographic recently featured the SD Zoo and USFWS and their research efforts, including the topic of "splatter paint". In the case of burrowing owl, the splatter paint mirrors the white wash of owl droppings. By creating fake white wash it indicates to the newly translocated population that their are other owls close by. With burrowing owl being semi-colonial animals, they like to inhabit burrows knowing other owls are in the area. The research has provided a solution and has proven to have positive impacts on translocated owl populations.

Part of the relocation research includes surveying for a suitable and safe habitat type. Non-profits like the SD Audubon Society partner with the SD Zoo to survey for healthy habitat conditions for burrowing owls to be relocated to. Once relocated, the "splatter paint" variable is created at newly constructed artificial burrows. As a volunteer on the project I have seen first hand the positive benefits of this research. The research efforts also include studying a population and collecting data on survival rates once they have become habituated in their new homes. 

Furthermore, this research is also indicative of the latest debate in the owl ecology world. The debate concerns discuss what options are best when removing owls from their home when they are in the way of development. The options are "eviction" or translocation of the owls, which is why these organizations play such an important role in the conservation efforts of these animals when they are relocated. 

As far as my own personal field experiences go for working with these animals, I have conducted surveys for them, analyzed wildlife camera photos of active burrows, and participated in local affairs to protect them. Most of my surveys for these owls have been in Coachella and Imperial Valley, with mostly positive sightings! I think my favorite part of being a field biologist is that I have no choice but to be on the burrowing owl schedule. 

What does that mean? It means early dawn mornings for protocol surveys, which mean that we must start the survey at sunrise between 6-10 am. Often times I have very early mornings and am required to arrive on site when they are most active. I don't mind it though, it serves as a reminder that this is about the animals and not me. When I survey for them, I am usually scanning for them with binoculars and looking for signs of clues that suggest recent activity. Burrowing owl sign includes white wash, pellets, or tracks. If I do have a positive survey and see several owls or sign of active burrows, then I record data on my findings. 

When we do find active burrows we set up wildlife cameras to monitor activity. I have to admit that analyzing game cameras is pretty exciting, especially when you get to monitor an active burrow. Often times I am searching for signs of predation and ensuring that the adult and chick counts remain stable. Often times these cameras are setup to monitor a population during development or when new owls have been translocated. 

As a I learn more about these animals and spend more time in the field surveying for them I become increasingly more passionate about respecting and protecting them. As a field biologist, I regularly partake in burrowing owl surveys and in my free time, I try to volunteer with the San Diego Zoo to monitor translocated populations. Even though the local population in San Diego County is considered threatened, I have confidence that those owls are on their way to becoming a conservation success story. They have been increasingly recognized by National Geographic as well as on Netflix, with the latest series "Tiny Creatures" featuring burrowing owls! 

I hope you find that my passion for protecting these animals is representative of the community of caring biologists that work so hard to protect these owls everyday. With a collaborative community of caring biologists I have confidence that the local population will rebound! I have high hopes for these little guys. 

Resources:

Burrowing Owl Facts: https://ca.audubon.org/birds-0/burrowing-owl 

National Geographic Article: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/these-tiny-owls-need-our-help-heres-how

California Fish and Wildlife Burrowing Owl protocol: https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=83842&inline

My favorite field photo as of late :)