thanks everybody for this valuable information.
danny
Thanks, James and great info! I didn't know about this colony.
Jennifer
Jennifer Miller
Lubbock, TX
{o,o}
/)_)
" "
Email -
Foundnatureblog@xxxxxxxxx
Blog - http://foundnature.weebly.com/index.html
On May 6, 2016, at 5:23 PM, James Leatherwood
<jamesleatherwood@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I drive back and forth to Yellow House Canyon every day (east 50th St.)
and drive thru the grey water farms maintained by the city. I'm amazed
at the carnage of prairie dawgs squished on the hiway...I see the
burrowing owls sitting on fence posts or on the prairie dog mounds. I
have not, happily, seen any car-strikes of the owls. I think we're
having a resurgence of the owls as well as scaled quail and bobwhites
and roadrunners due to the amazing abundance of grasshoppers late last
summer, it was NO trouble at all to keep your brood fed! Thanks for
your efforts at monitoring the owls!
From: leasbirds-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <leasbirds-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> on
behalf of Jennifer Miller <foundnatureblog@xxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, May 6, 2016 5:08 PM
To: leasbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [leasbirds] Burrowing Owl Request
Hi Everyone,
I have been noticing more Burrowing Owls than usual as I have birded in
Lubbock and Levelland over the past few weeks. After conversations with
others, it appears as though this may be a good nesting season for them,
thanks to the rain that we received this and last year. We are at the
beginning of their nesting season and I would like to ask everyone to
please keep an eye on the Burrowing Owls that you may drive by or see on
a regular basis this summer. They nest and fledge their young from March
through October. If disturbed during this time, males will remain above
ground or fly while females and nestlings will duck back down into their
burrows. This makes the females and young extremely vulnerable to
prairie dog exterminations during this time. The Migratory Bird Treaty
Act prohibits disturbance to their nests and to do so carries legal
repercussions.
Concerned about prairie dog encroachment on the baseball field at
McAlister Park, I contacted Lubbock Parks and Recreation to ensure that
there were no plans to exterminate the prairie dogs, and with them the
Burrowing Owls. They informed me that they generally cannot poison
prairie dogs after March 1st due to the Burrowing Owl's breeding season,
but I still think that it is important to keep an eye on them during
this critical time. If the city knows that we are watching, hopefully
they will adhere to the regulations prohibiting interference with
nesting as outlined by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
If you see disturbance on private or public land occupied by Burrowing
Owls from March through October, please inform the authorities below.
Disturbance includes poisoning, preparation for building, soil
compaction, etc. If any of these occur, it will be important to have a
good idea about the location of the burrows that the owls were using in
order to try to save the Burrowing Owls or prove that they were
exterminated.
Texas Game Wardens:
Shannon Chambliss
806-761-4930
Shannon.Chambliss@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Mallory Mitchell (after August)
806-761-4930
Mallory.Mitchell@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Special Agent:
Russell Carter
806-472-7273
I would love to see twice as many Burrowing Owls next year if they can
have a successful nesting season this year! Please let me know if you
have any questions and I will do my best to track down the answers.
Thanks,
Jennifer
--
Jennifer Miller
Lubbock, TX
{o,o}
/)_)
" "
Blog - http://foundnature.weebly.com/index.html
