Burrowing Owl Artificial Burrow Installation

Burrowing Owl Installation Volunteers photos by Larry Jordan

Ten local birders and Burrowing Owl enthusiasts managed to construct eight artificial burrows in Chico, California on Saturday.  The weather held as we installed two groups of four burrows each in the heavy wet soil of a location where the habitat will be conserved in perpetuity.

There have been Burrowing Owls seen at this location for nearly twenty years according to the resident biologist that studies the vernal pools located on the property.  One owl was spotted when I visited the site a couple of weeks ago to mark out the locations for the hand dug burrows.

The burrows are constructed according to plans from Wild At Heart, an Arizona based conservation organization that has built over 4,000 artificial burrows, successfully relocating over 1500 Burrowing Owls.Burrowing Owls live in loose colonies using burrows dug by other ground dwelling creatures, notably the ground squirrel in California.  The artificial burrows use a five gallon bucket, turned upside down as the nest chamber and 4 inch tubing with a 90 degree bend, creating a tunnel to the surface that most closely resembles a natural burrow.  The burrows are installed in groups of at least four to facilitate digging and offer several options to the owls for breeding and predator evasion.

The previous installation I completed in Anderson, California on January 17th consisted of one eight chamber and two four chambered groups of burrows and were dug using a backhoe.  We will be installing another 16 burrows at the Chico location as soon as the ground is dry enough to get an excavator into the site to do the digging, however it was nice to get at least eight burrows in now to facilitate the beginning of Burrowing Owl breeding season.

It is advantageous for the owls to have a foyer at the tunnel opening to help protect the young as they emerge from the burrow.  We used two gallon pots donated from a local nursery, partially filled with soil up to the 4 inch tube to imitate a natural burrow opening.  These were secured with rebar bent over the top of the pots and then they were covered with soil.  A perch was placed above the openings as an advantage for predator detection.

The artificial burrow sites will be monitored using the protocol recommended by the Burrowing Owl Consortium and Jack Barclay.  Monthly in January and February, twice per month in March, April and May, weekly May through July and back to monthly August through December.

This project could not have materialized without a grant from Audubon California.  Thanks to Garry George, Chapter Network Director, for his insightful consideration of the Burrowing Owl problem in California, we may be able to turn the tide of the decline of this “Species of Special Concern.”  I would also like to thank Jordan Wellwood, Central Valley/Sierra Nevada Conservation Coordinator, for her constant advocacy for the Burrowing Owl and other conservation issues in California.

I have also received incredible support from Wintu Audubon of Redding and Altacal Audubon of Chico.  It is the strong commitment of their members to bird conservation in northern California that has led the volunteers you see in the photo above to help on this dig for the Burrowing Owl.