Giving a Hoot During Burrowing Owl Nesting Season

Thanks to Marco’s brigade of over 77 Owl Watch Monitors the 2023 nesting season is off to a hooting start! After the anxiety caused by Hurricane Ian, it is very encouraging to note that most of the burrowing owls in my own neighborhood (Caxambas) have returned and I can’t wait to start my weekly rounds.

The burrowing owls showed that they were “tough birds” during Hurricane Ian. Though many of their burrows were washed away and filled with sand, once the water receded, I saw owls re-digging new burrows close to the new one.

As Owl Watch monitors, we missed the owls greeting us with their exaggerated nod or up-and-down head motions. It is nesting season and some of the owls are starting to decorate their burrows with their “owl favorites” such as cigarette butts, pieces of foam from construction sites, shiny foil pieces, candy wrappers and the “owl favorite” of dog poo. All through the nesting season, the male stands guard outside the burrow entrance or on its perch, sometimes hissing or fluffing its wings to make itself appear bigger and say, “you’re getting too close.”

On January 28th, Owl Watch Marco held their training at Mackle Park, and here are some of the highlights:

NestStory Review: You’ll often hear Owl Watch Monitors speak of NestStory while out in the field checking their assigned owl burrow neighborhoods. This is a simple collection tool that organizes nesting data accurately once a week such as time of day and condition, single/pair of owls, chick counts, age of chicks, banded owls, new burrows, decorations, injuries/deceased, posting needs and violations (anything that is disruptive to the owls).

Owl Watch Monitoring Tools include binoculars to observe owls from the sidewalk, an Owl Watch Magnet for the car or a shirt, a cell phone with NestStory activated, and an Owl Watch folder containing contact information. Optional tools include a cardboard box along with a net and gloves to rescue an injured animal.

It is important to note that Owl Watch monitors do not enter private properties unless approved, and do not share owl locations to protect owls/chicks from disturbance.

These are some common violations the Owl Watch monitors encounter: 

• Postings taken down.
• Obstruction in burrow.
• Collapsed or filled in burrow.
• Direct harm to owl.
• Construction equipment/vehicles parked too close.
• Mowing over a burrow.

What can you do if you see some of these violations? Take photo and email it to Brittany Piersma, Field Biologist of the Audubon of the Western Everglades at owlwatchmarco@gmail.com. Brittany will guide you on the next steps.

If you encounter a sick or injured owl, take photos or a video and jot down any descriptive information of the owl’s condition along with observations of any nearby owls. Write down the date and address then phone/text Piersma. She has a courier text list for coordination of transport to Conservancy, if needed.

These are the regulations regarding buffers around burrows:

Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission Buffer for Burrowing Owls:

10 feet buffer - July 11th to February 14th.

33 feet buffer - February 15th to July 10th.

City of Marco Island Buffer

33 feet on vacant lots and swales year-round.

Gopher Tortoise – 25 feet buffer year-round.

There have been some questions on permitted removal of owl burrows. According to Piersma, owl burrows can be removed properly anytime during the year as long as there is no nesting activity, eggs or chicks that cannot fly. Once chicks can fly, that burrow can be removed following these strictures:

Owner applies for removal under FWC with an approved burrowing owl Agent.

Permit can take as long as 90 days to be approved.

Burrows are legally scoped prior to removal to ensure no nesting activity, eggs or flightless chicks.

Burrow excavated to end and filled in. Owls left to find new home.

Permit should be posted on site.