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ELGIN — Six burrowing owls that have been relocated to an Elgin vineyard seem content in their new habitat, according to a wildlife expert.
Greg Clark, who is a burrowing owl habitat coordinator, expressed satisfaction with how the birds seem to be adjusting to the new site after a monthlong relocation.
The owls, rescued from a construction site in the Phoenix area, were trapped and transported to Elgin by Wild at Heart, an organization dedicated to the rehabilitation and relocation of owls, raptors and other birds of prey. Callaghan vineyards donated five acres of land to be used as a habitat site for the relocated owls.
 Seventh-grader Phillip Rigas and eighth-grader Steven Hersey, both students at Elgin School, mound dirt around the entrance of an artificial burrow to help protect it from erosion and dogs. When completed, the exposed tubing will be completely covered, with the exception of the opening. The artificial burrows are a new habitat site for a colony of six burrowing owls that were rescued from the Phoenix area by Wild at Heart and relocated to Callaghan Vineyards in Elgin. (Dana Cole-Herald/Review) |
For one month, the birds have been living in man-made burrows covered by a screened enclosure to prevent them from flying away.
On Thursday, the tent was removed. Thirty days is considered enough time for the owls to acclimate to their new home. Wildlife experts hope the birds stay on site and reproduce, but that’s always an uncertainty.
“We never know for sure if the owls are going to stay,” Clark said. “This area appears to be an ideal site for them, but there are all kinds of factors that could make them uncomfortable and cause them to leave.”
This is the first time burrowing owls have been relocated to Santa Cruz County, Clark added.
“Since we haven’t used this area as a relocation site before, we’ll have to wait and see how things go.”
The Elgin area fits well with the relocation criteria that Clark looks for when he searches for sites.
“These owls prefer locations with wide open spaces and very few trees,” he said. “We’ve had particularly good luck with agricultural sites, primarily because they have irrigation and plenty of rodents for food. The vineyards qualify as an agricultural site, so we’re hoping this will be a successful relocation.”
Under Clark’s direction, eight Elgin middle school students worked Thursday on stabilizing the entrances of a network of expansion burrows. The six owls have a cluster of 16 burrows at the site. The students also helped construct the owl habitat as part of a community service project last month, returning to the site for the final phase of the relocation effort.
Stabilizing the entrances with mounds of dirt and rock protects the burrows from erosion and keeps dogs from destroying the entrances. A small wooden roost is placed near each entrance, giving the owls an elevated perch that serves as a visual vantage point in close proximity to the burrow entrance.
When it’s time to remove the tent, the students team up and pull the heavy screen forward, carefully folding it in sections as they move it over a frame.
“Sometimes owls will fly out of the burrows once we start taking the tent down,” Clark told the students. “You’ll want to be sure to watch for them.”
But on this day, the owls remained in the burrows.
Once the tent is down, the students crowd around Clark to watch as he lowers a tiny camera through a narrow inspection tube that leads directly into a nesting burrow, about 4 feet beneath the ground.
“We have eggs,” he announced to the group as images of eggs appear on a small monitor.
“This is awesome,” said eighth-grader Gavin Cude. “How many are there, six?’
As Clark lowered the camera into other nesting burrows through the inspection tube, more eggs were visible, with a total of three locations.
“This is a good sign,” he said.
Even more exciting, the students were able to observe two owls peering back at them on the monitor, from deep in their burrow.
“It’s very unusual to see the owls like this,” Clark said. “We rarely see owls in the nesting burrow, maybe once in every 100 times that we look through the inspection tube.”
All eight students helping with the relocation effort are honor roll students with at least a 3.5 grade point average, said Dianne Brown, who teaches sixth through eighth-grade science at Elgin school.
“Every one of these students earned the privilege to participate on this project,” she said.
Wild at Heart involves young people in its relocation efforts to help heighten awareness about the importance of wildlife preservation.
Burrowing owls are small raptors that live in underground burrows that have been excavated and occupied by other animals, such as prairie dogs and ground squirrels. Because of their small size, the owls fall prey to larger raptors. For that reason, they prefer open, grassland areas instead of forested regions that attract birds. Unlike other owls, they are active during the day. They eat rodents and insects.
“These owls are adorable little animals,” Clark said. “Once people see them, they become very attached to them. We’re doing a lot of relocating right now and are always looking for new sites.”
Where to call
HERALD/REVIEW reporter Dana Cole can be reached at 515-4618 or by e-mail at dana.cole@svherald.com.
Bill Stein wrote on Nov 22, 2008 7:45 PM: