When that happens, “it can be hard, because I get to know the individuals pretty well,” Wisinski says. It may seem like translocation is preferable to eviction, but that’s not necessarily the case: Translocated owls often fly right back home, only to discover their cozy grassland is now a supermarket or a solar array. Photographs by San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
A more involved option is translocation, in which scientists such as Wisinski capture and relocate the animals to new sites that are often protected from future development. (Ecologists refer to this as “eviction.”) The now-homeless owls, it is assumed, will find new burrows. The most common strategy for moving owls is called displacement, in which developers wait until the birds are away from home, then collapse their burrows. ( Read why birds matter, and are worth protecting. While the owls’ rattlesnake-rattle mimicry may deter predators such as badgers and coyotes, it does nothing to deter a bulldozer. This habitat loss is the main reason the yellow-eyed, long-legged birds have rapidly declined in the state, according to Wisinski, of the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. Because they don’t dig their own homes, their owl’s adopted burrows are crucial to their survival lose the host species who digs the hole, lose the owls, as has been the case with prairie dog declines throughout the Great Plains.Ībout 95 percent of California’s original grasslands have been destroyed since European settlers arrived.
The 10-inch-tall birds hole up in abandoned burrows made by prairie dogs and ground squirrels, hunting insects and small mammals during the day and nesting with up to a dozen of their chicks at night.
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But there’s often little guidance on how to do that, and even less information on what happens to the birds in their new homes.ĭespite their name, western burrowing owls-found across arid grasslands from Canada to South America-do not burrow, they borrow. Reduce heat if this occurs.Colleen Wisinski has a tough job: Relocating tiny, adorable owls before their grassland homes are taken over by urban development in California.ĭevelopers are required by the state to safely remove western burrowing owls-a federally protected subspecies-from their land.
If the bird starts open-mouthed breathing, it may be too hot. Birds who cannot stand should have a foam pad, pillow or crumpled newspaper under the towel to provide a cushioning effect. These species defend themselves by stabbing or biting with their beaks and aim at your face and eyes. Seabirds: Cormorants, herons, egrets, loon, grebes and gulls can inflict serious injuries with their beaks.Raptors: Any raptor who remains on the ground is obviously debilitated in some way, but never forget that even a grounded raptor is a dangerous animal.Then watch the bird and keep domestic pets away until someone can come. If you fear the bird or are unsuccessful in your efforts, toss a laundry basket over the bird so that it cannot fly out of reach or run away. Give the bird a short time to get situated and stand upright. Try to place the bird in the box with feet down or on a side, not on the back, and quickly close the box. ALWAYS hold the bird so the head is facing away from you. Hold the bird across the shoulders and body restraining the wings with your hands. You will have a few seconds to pick up the bird while they cannot see to strike out or escape. If the bird is standing, approach slowly, and then quickly cover the bird with a towel or blanket.
If the bird is not standing, they are in very bad shape and should not pose much of a threat. Have a box ready, and put on the thickest pair of gloves you have to give protection if a bird tries to bite or talon you.
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