[obol] Re: Owl Conservation
- From: David Irons <llsdirons@xxxxxxx>
- To: "whoffman@xxxxxxxx" <whoffman@xxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 30 Dec 2013 10:44:11 -0800
Wayne
Sent from my iPhone
On Dec 30, 2013, at 10:27 AM, "Wayne Hoffman" <whoffman@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Thank you Clay, for adding something constructive to this conversation. I am
> sure there are others who have more knowledge than I do of Burrowing Owl
> history, but here's my take.
>
> As far as I know, Burrowing Owls are not known to nest in the Willamette
> Valley. A small number have been found wintering in the valley. It is my
> understanding that one or more banded ones have been seen that had come from
> efforts to rebuild / re-establish a breeding population in interior British
> Columbia.
>
> Most of the known occurrences have been associated with small culverts (e.g.
> where a driveway crosses a roadside ditch, or where an agricultural drain
> tile emerges into a roadside ditch. Most of the occurrences I am aware of
> have been along public roads, but that may reflect observer distribution as
> much as owl distribution.
>
> These culvert roost sites tend to become temporarily unsuitable during winter
> storms when the culverts are carrying rainwater.
>
> From time to time Burrowing Owls have also been found wintering on the Oregon
> Coast. Roost sites over here have included the rocks of jetties. Years ago
> I found one in a pile of boulders that were placed temporarily for addition
> to the Yaquina Bay South Jetty the next summer.
>
> I have no data on who limiting suitable roost sites are to these owls in the
> Willamette Valley, but suspect that if there were more, and drier sites, they
> might do better. If people wanted to place sections of culvert in places
> where they never got flooded, owls might choose to use them. These could be
> near roads for easy viewing, or distant, to protect the owls from all those
> nasty lenses.
>
> I do not know whether they should be dead-end or open at both ends. Probably
> someone else has insight into that, and optimal sizes, etc. Sites generally
> should be in open country, fairly distant from woodlots.
>
> Wayne
>
>
> On Mon, Dec 30, 2013 at 8:50 AM, clay crofton <ruffledgrouch@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Could an OBOL member with knowledge of Burrowing Owls please comment on the
> history of Burrowing Owls in the Willamette Valley and whether a burrow
> construction project would help them?
>
> --
>
> Happy birding
> CLAY
> Closed yahoo account and encourage you to not use yahoo. Please note my new
> email address
>
>
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