Training

See also: Burrowing Owl, Maintaining Biodiversity

This field session was in conjunction with the 1-Day Burrowing Owl Repeat Workshop held on August 30.  Participants met at the Waste Water Treatment Plant on Zanker Road and proceeded into the field site as a group.  We recommended appropriate walking shoes and layers as it can be a windy site. 

Personal vehicles were required for traveling to the site.  The instructor provided information on the ecology and habitat needs of burrowing owls as well as how to plan habitats for owls. In the field, participants:

• surveyed for active burrowing owl burrows and distinguished them from other burrows,
• learned to identify and sex adults in the field,
• identified chicks and their approximate age,
• learned how to determine appropriate human disturbance buffer distances, and
• viewed examples of enhancement for burrowing owl nesting and foraging habitat

There were no equipment requirements but good scopes or binoculars were recommended.