Where Do Burrowing Owls Go During a Hurricane?

Right after Hurricane Ian, I was often stopped by neighbors asking, “Where did the burrowing owls go during Hurricane Ian?” Almost all the burrows in my neighborhood were flooded and that included the gopher tortoises. The only burrows safe from inundation were those located on the high ground in Marco’s Estates area of Ludlow Road and Indian Hill.

Do they know that bad weather was approaching? I can’t answer that question 

but an owl was reported inside Marco’s Winn-Dixie on top of the frozen food section two days before Hurricane Ian. And just like people, animals seek shelter during extreme weather.

From observations on my backyard feeders, birds tend to stop by my feeder more often prior to a weather change. They also tend to eat more. The Brazilian thicket across the street provided the neighborhood owls and other birds a quick and easy place to shelter. But when the rain and wind got stronger, I found a couple of owls hunkered next to my front window sill.

During the height of the storm surge, all burrows both for the burrowing owls and gopher tortoises were flooded. According to Brittany Piersma, biologist for Audubon of the Western Everglades, they received all sorts of inquiries from residents concerned with the safety of the Burrowing Owls. Per Piersma, owls find any type of shelter from the rain, wind and flooding. Owls will hide behind or under vehicles, in window sills, front doorways, under shutters or canopies, and in trees and vegetation and might even sneak into your garage. They will also take advantage of homes under construction.

The following photos will illustrate that our burrowing owls were very “wise” during Hurricane Ian. Once the water receded, they came out to dry, hanging out by shrubs close to their burrows.

Luckily, Hurricane Ian came in October when nesting season was over and all chicks have fledged and moved out on their own.

Recovery time: Some of the owls are back checking out their old postings and according to volunteers from Owl Watch Marco, they have not come across any losses or injuries. A lot of the owl burrows collapsed with heavy flooding. They may dig on the same property outside of the postings, or on other vacant or developed lots. Most of them have already started re-digging their burrows. Please be on the lookout for any new burrow popping up and make sure to report it to owlwatchmarco@gmail.com. Cleanup of burrows and posting repairs are underway.

What about the gopher tortoise? Yes, most of them experienced flooded burrows but they most likely moved to a higher location. In normal heavy rain or flood the tortoises are able to survive. Two days after the storm, I saw my neighborhood tortoises soaking up the sun on top of their burrows and it looked like business as usual in the gopher tortoise mounds.

It is rebuilding time and just like the human residents, our active wildlife are doing the same thing. During the last few evenings and early mornings, I’ve heard the gentle coos and chirps of the burrowing owls and while driving back home in the evening, I’ve seen an owl perched on the street sign across the street – a sign that life is slowly getting back to a routine.

How can you help? To support the owls and other species, consider checking out the Amazon wish list at https://a.co/9kDozBq. or donate at https://audubonwe.org/donate/.