If you’d like to help burrowing owls here are some things you can do

 

• Sign up to become a Friend of the Burrowing Owls. This is part of Eyes and Ears on Burrowing Owls (a project of the Pomona Valley Audubon Society). Friends will receive news about the Pomona Valley area owls and be made aware of volunteer opportunities.

• Become a burrowing owl monitor during nesting season. You will receive instructions on how to find the owls and report your findings. For more information, email pomonavalleyaudubon@gmail.com.

• Report sightings of burrowing owls. The owls can sometimes be found in vacant lots, airports, golf courses, and school grounds. They like open space with no or few trees, low vegetation, and a sizable population of California ground squirrels (Otospermophilus beecheyi) who excavate the burrows that the owls use.

• You can share unique sightings or special stories you’ve had with burrowing owls by sending an email to pomonavalleyaudubon@gmail.com

• General sightings can be reported in eBird or iNaturalist

 

• Identify other species seen at some local artificial burrowing owl burrows by viewing photos from the camera traps at these locations. If you are interested in being part of this project, email pomonavalleyaudubon@gmail.com. Here are some sample photos:

 

 

 

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• Request burrowing owl information cards and distribute them to members of the public when observing owls. For more information email pomonavalleyaudubon@gmail.com.

• Report behavior that threatens owls to CalTIP by calling 1-888-334-CalTIP (888-334-2258) or text to 847411. You can also download their app. The toll free telephone number operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You do not have to give your name. Threatening behavior could include (but is not limited to):

  • A photographer that’s within 50 ft of an owl and refuses to move further back when asked.

  • Unauthorized placement of a camera on an active burrow site. Eyes and Ears on Burrowing Owls/Pomona Valley Audubon Society would not give permission/nor has the authority to authorize such an action.

  • Mowing, construction activity, or pesticide/herbicide use that appears to put owls in danger.

• Document rodent bait stations and discourage their use when possible.

  • If you observe rodent bait stations in the vicinity of burrowing owls (or other sensitive species), document them by photographing each station so the rodenticide being used and the company responsible for the application is visible. If you would like to document multiple bait stations, you can use the following template: Example Template for Multiple Bait Stations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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• Encourage the administrator of the stations to remove them or use first-generation anticoagulants. To learn more specific information about first and second generation anticoagulants along with some strategies to avoid using them altogether, see this article, Rodenticides: Background & Hazards from Safe Rodent Control

  • Stations that do not have the rodenticide in use labeled are a safety hazard and illegal. They should immediately be reported to the bait station administrator and then to California Department of Pesticide Regulation (https://www.cdpr.ca.gov), if further action is required.

  • The article, Poisons Used to Kill Rodents Have Safer Alternatives, from the Jan/Feb 2013 Audubon Magazine explains how rodenticides work, the different types, and some safer alternatives.

  • Rodenticides aren’t just harmful to wildlife. They can be a threat to household pets like dogs and cats. See this article, Accidental Dog Poisoning On the Rise, from UC Davis.