They stand guard in pastures and prairies next to a pile of white sand keeping their big eyes focused for insects, small rodents and predators.
Burrowing owls, tiny owls with big eyes often seen during the day, once inhabited a good part of southeastern Hillsborough County. But human encroachment has all but wiped them out here.
Audubon Tampa members are working with experts to create artificial burrows in hopes of luring the burrowing owls back home. They are seeking volunteers to help them place the burrows and landowners who will welcome them on their property.
Listed as a threatened species, burrowing owls are endemic to Florida, so they are an important resource that should not be lost, said Rebecca Schneider, a regional biologist for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Project Bur-o has successfully placed several owl burrows and have already attracted at least one bird, said Audubon Tampa Vice President Sandy Reed. The program has been extremely successful in southwest Florida where more than 400 burrows have been installed.
Burrows have already been installed at Dawson Elementary School in Riverview, on a ranch in southern Hillsborough County, at Bell Creek Preserve in Riverview and near a couple of strawberry fields.
To become a volunteer or offer land for the project, contact Reed at sandy.reed@tampaaudubon.org.
“It is a stewardship responsibility to preserve those endemic characteristics of Florida and the region,” Schneider said. “There are implications for other wildlife.”
