mildly annoyed
And then there were two three.
One of three burrowing owls that made it back to Berkeley's César Chávez Park this year. Previous years saw 6, 5, and 4. A decade ago there were 15. At Berkeley they're under threat from dogs and raptors. Their nesting habitat 1000 miles north that may also be part of the problem. Burrowing owls are found throughout open landscapes across North and South America. They rely on prairie dogs and other large rodents to provide them a head start on burrow development. Several island forms are now extinct. They are threatened in the western US, Florida, and Canada. They are a state endangered species in Colorado. However, in the tropics they have expanded their range considerably with deforestation and seem to do well in parks and cattle pasture.
At the park they enlarge and occupy the burrows of the California ground squirrel. They don't prey on the adult squirrels -- choosing instead to focus on mice, lizards, grasshoppers and crickets. This small group is migratory and nests at an unknown location to the north. Elsewhere in the bay area there are nesting non-migratory groups. Less than 100 total pairs are now known in the bay area.
I was inspired to find these guys by Michael Layefsky
mildly annoyed
And then there were two three.
One of three burrowing owls that made it back to Berkeley's César Chávez Park this year. Previous years saw 6, 5, and 4. A decade ago there were 15. At Berkeley they're under threat from dogs and raptors. Their nesting habitat 1000 miles north that may also be part of the problem. Burrowing owls are found throughout open landscapes across North and South America. They rely on prairie dogs and other large rodents to provide them a head start on burrow development. Several island forms are now extinct. They are threatened in the western US, Florida, and Canada. They are a state endangered species in Colorado. However, in the tropics they have expanded their range considerably with deforestation and seem to do well in parks and cattle pasture.
At the park they enlarge and occupy the burrows of the California ground squirrel. They don't prey on the adult squirrels -- choosing instead to focus on mice, lizards, grasshoppers and crickets. This small group is migratory and nests at an unknown location to the north. Elsewhere in the bay area there are nesting non-migratory groups. Less than 100 total pairs are now known in the bay area.
I was inspired to find these guys by Michael Layefsky