For more than a decade, and by some reports longer, a small coterie of migratory Western Burrowing Owls has been spending the winter at Cesar Chavez Park in Berkeley. So far this year at least four have returned. 

These small ground-dwelling owls roost quietly during the day but are normally alert and looking around. They are very easy to miss and most casual park visitors never see them. Three years ago, after noticing that some of the owls liked the habitat available in the north-east corner of the park, members of the Golden Gate Audubon Society, in cooperation with the Berkeley Parks, Recreation & Waterfront Department began a program of fencing off a small "For Owls Only" area between October and April when the owls are present.

The Audubon Society also trained docents to monitor the owls and provide interpretative guidance to interested park visitors. I am one of those docents, and I invite interested Albany residents to come and learn more about these special seasonal visitors. 

The Western Burrowing Owl is a California Species of Concern, and is protected under state and federal laws. Its population appears to be declining due to habitat loss, as our cities expand into open grasslands the owls inhabit. 

There are resident, nesting populations of these owls in California, and in the Bay Area (including Mountain View and San Jose), but Berkeley's population is strictly migratory. We don't know where they come from, but probably places where cold and snow deplete their food supply. Some years ago, one of Berkeley's owls had a leg band, and an intrepid birder with a good scope read the number and was able to determine that the owl had been banded in southern Idaho.    

In Berkeley, the wintering owls can find shelter in the innumerable ground squirrel holes or in holes on the perimeter rip-rap rocks, and they tend to stay close to home when they find a place that suits them. They hunt after dark, and prey on small mice, voles or larger insects. They don't prey on ground squirrels, but they eagerly use ground squirrel holes. Burrowing owls rarely dig their own burrows.  

In recent weeks, two of this year's burrowing owls have been seen in the fenced-off area at the northeast corner of Cesar Chavez Park, where they are frequently visible from the paved walking path. One likes a ground squirrel hole near the southern gate, and the other likes to roost near the edge of the paved circle at the north end of the fenced area. 

You don't need binoculars to watch them, but it makes it more fun. Limit the amount of time you spend observing the owls, as crowds and excessive attention may stress them. Always stay behind the fence, and keep your dog on-lease when you walk the path.  Audubon docents are present for an hour or two most days. A few keep regular schedules, but most go when we can. 

I expect to be at the park from around 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on New Year's Day and Sunday. You would have a good chance of catching one of the more regular docents on Monday mornings, early in the morning on Tuesdays, and mid-morning on Thursdays. 

This year the fencing and barriers are new, and they are part of a public art project commissioned by the city of Berkeley and the East Bay Community Foundation.

The project is the work of two local artists, Jennifer Madden and Jeffery Reed. Its low walls and earthen mounds reflect the stratigraphy of the Berkeley Hills. The installation incorporates removable seasonal gates to isolate the owl habitat and was designed with input from the Golden Gate Audubon Society.

The work is incomplete, as the artists stopped construction on Oct. 1, and will not resume until the owls leave. By most accounts, the art project has been well received by the public and, judging from their behavior, the owls aren't objecting. 

Albany also has a dedicated space for burrowing owls. It consists of about eight acres of fenced area in the waterfront on the plateau north of Buchanan Street (extension). This was created about three years ago as mitigation for the Tom Bates Fields sports complex. (See the attached PDF for more information.)

During planning for the project, a burrowing owl was found within the area that was to have been disturbed for construction of the sports complex (by Steve Granholm, an Albanian and professional biologist). When formal protocol studies confirmed the owl's presence there, the mitigation plan was developed, funded and implemented. To my knowledge, however, there have been no reports of burrowing owls finding and using the Albany space set aside for them.

It has been built, now if only they would come! 

Everybody makes mistakes ... even us! If there's something in this article you think should be corrected, or if something else is amiss, give editor Emilie Raguso a ring at 510-459-8325 or shoot her an e-mail at emilier@patch.com.