Building burrowing owl habitat .

[Equilibrium]

No camp grounds. That was the Petrified Forest I think. We were thrilled to death we had the whole park to ourselves. All those cars were leaving and there we were... the only car going into the park. It was wonderful. We hiked around a few hours. Explored some ruins... stopped in at the information building to pick up a guide to explore more trails and the ranger looked as if he had seen a ghost. It was the ranger who asked us if we hadn't been listening to the radio... we hadn't... and told us we better plan on camping there or something for a few days because we'd never make it across the wash. We thanked the ranger and walked out. I had remembered that sign that said "wash" over that bone dry bed of rocks we drove over to get into the other side of the park. It couldn't have been more than 50' across. It was a pretty bad experience and we were 27 miles into the park "exploring". That's when my husband told me that some of the drivers of the cars going the other direction had motioned him to turn around but he ignored them... he didn't see any smoke ahead in the distance. My nose had been in a book but I did remember waving back to one driver that I thought was waving at me. He must have been motioning us to turn around too. More than a white knuckler getting out of there and Pillsbury did look in the rear view mirror after we were on the other side with horror at the 2" of water that turned into a foot of water that turned into a raging river about one minute after we hit the other side. We pulled the car up another 25' or so and stopped and got out to look in silence. One minute is about all that separated us from flipping and being carried down stream and we were in a Cadillac Escalade that's got a decent center of gravity and is high off the ground. The waters rose up that fast to 2' maybe even higher. The waters we went through were bad enough they were beating on the side of the car and it felt weightless and tilted to the passenger side a few times as it was on two wheels. We started out on the other side in maybe 2" of water thinking the ranger was over reacting by telling us to camp there. 2" coming down the not-so-dry rock bed didn't look bad enough to not cross in an SUV. Half way through the going got tough and the water was coming faster and it was up to 6 or maybe 7". It got worse from there and it happened in the blink of an eye. There were a few times I thought we were going to go over. My husband told me to get on the drivers side of the car and to start moving our stuff over. The water was hitting his side with force and it was grabbing those running boards to step into the car easier. I get cold sweats thinking about what would have happened to us if we hadn't gotten to the other side when we did. Stupid is as stupid does. I know how school buses end up on their sides floating down when the rains come like they do. The driver probably thought he had enough weight and time to make it. If we had any brains.... we would have stayed on the other side and eaten raisins and what ever food we had and slept in the car. See a sign that says "wash"... respect it.

[Sage]

Yikes, Lib! Glad you libbed to tell the story!

[lonediver]

"Washes" here are no joke . rain being something of a rare commidity here in the arid desert , there is no pasture/range grasses to hold the water as it comes down . Cactus and such drink thirstly very rapidly to absorb/hold/retain water for future use . These plants are not sure just when they will get a drink again . Better drink all they can , WHEN they can . I saw some time lapse photography illustrating just how much a cactus can swell , grow in girth in a very short time . Now when water/rain comes down on/in a watershed here normally dry channels , gullies can become RAGING torrents in a matter of minutes/hours . What was dry can be many deep feet . Two feet , twenty feet . This is NORMAL here . I jokingly interpet how they came to be called a wash is because it/they WILL WASH anything in thier path away . Rocks , cars, boulders, trucks, people, trees does not matter . Anything in its path WILL be tumbled as a plaything . Natures way of cleaning, regenerating, a term called river scour .

Arizona has what is called "The Arizona STUPID motorist law" , anyone stupid enough to drive into a "wash" during a storm event WILL have to pay for the cost of thier rescue . Helicopters and such costing what they do , this can get pricey .

A "wash" story of mine .

I was traveling with a group of SCUBA students to Mexico when somewhere past the metropolis of Ajo, we were stopped in our path by a wash . Not sure of just how deep the water was flowing . It was a friday night , evening , so there were a LOT of people on thier way to Rocky point/puerto penasco, Mexico . A popular tourist destination point on weekends . I get out of the van we are traveling in and walk up the line of vehicles in front of us where there was a crowd milling around at the waters edge . I walk off to the side and gather a few sticks and rocks , taking them back to the edge of the roadway and build a small rock stack and stick the sticks into the bottom of the water so as to create a bit of a "gauge" so it can be seen if the water is raising or falling . After a time some 30 - 60 minutes it can easily be seen that the river/wash has fallen considerably .

The people in higher vehicles (trucks, vans and such) judge that it is reasonable finally to ford the crossing . So people start scrambling for thier vehicles . Just as we load up and start to pull back on the road , some &%#@*#$ in a low slung sports car type vehicle pull out in front of us . These people have NOTHING for brains . The inevitable happened , as they were traveling across the now ford , water was slung up into/onto thier engine . Quite literally flooding the engine out stopping dead in thier tracks . The vehicle in front of us . Nobody is absolutely sure just where the road IS , so you just aim for the center of the oposite side .

Obviously this is not a good place to remain . Water could come back up . I order all the men out of the van (remember I was traveling with a large SCUBA group) and to lock arms , elbow around elbow to create a human chain for a measure of human safety . Then walking/wading up to the back of the sports type car ( my first inclination was to toss this toy to the side of the road) and pushed it with human power to the other side. Out of harms way and allow us to pass .

On the other side we continue to push the vehicle to the side out of the lanes of traffic . Then we jumped into our vehicle leaving the dumb city slickers to figure out how to get out of thier own mess !

[lonediver]

Well , just did a portion of my duty trying to protect some natural burrowing owl nests not far from me .

I am in a new start up water district where they will be putting in a new well that will serve me and this local area . this will repief me of the NOT small chore of hauling water to my property , something that I will be more than grateful for .

The district bought one of the 4 acre lots not far from me . I had been to one of the/thier meetings where I made them aware of a cluster of some 3 nests on thier lot and one just over the proprty line . The "BRILLANT" engineer in charge of the project stated to the effect that the burrowing owls were not of concern to him . That burrowing owls were not on the endangered list and he was going to do NOTHING about them .

How do you argue with a man like that , I ask you ?

You don't !

I got up the next morning and put in a call to the (Federal) Fish and Wildlife who did reinforce my idea that while the burrowing owls were not in fact on the endangered list that they were most definitely protected and if I would provide her with the name of this "BRILLANT" engineer and give him a new education (his hole was drilled) . I do not believe that I am a favored critter of this engineer any longer .

Nice to know that we have a mutual admiration society !

I had and the Fish and Wildlife people called the locally licensed burrowing owl group , Wild At Heart . Some folks I've talked to , worked with and become kind of friends of mine . Well the district had to pat him (the rescue group) to come down and mark the nest on and close to the upcoming construction . And informed as to if the construction was too close it would be necessary to rescue/remove the owls .

They have been warned !

Well this morning my dogs were making a bit of a ruckus (my door bells, who needs electric ones) telling me that something was going on . So I took a gander from my eagles/crow nest and spied construction equipment being moved in . I knew that the owls had not been moved . So I hollered at the wife to get on the horn (what , who, how , women always questions) After showing her where the listing for the rescue group was on the internet telling her as to tell them who she was married to (the ) and they would know the where, what ,who and how .

In the meantime as the wife was calling Wild At Heart , I was strolling over to the well/constuction site where they were starting to work a backhoe . I talked to the supervisor a bit and found that the lot had been marked with stakes marking where and where not they should go . A little closer than I thought was comfortable . But the rescue group was called and there had been talk about moving the owls . But he had not been contacted YET !

Well the construction company probably already thinks I am a pain (Do I care , I never have run for a popularity contest) but they are aware that there is somebody close watching .

Next few days should be a-bit interestin' whatever happens . I could get asked to help with the licensed rescuer which I would be happy to do/watch .

But I DO have my eye on the construction company/site !


Wish me, the owls particularly some luck .

One person CAN make a small difference .

[lonediver]

Well , I spent my day having a bit of fun being either a PITA or SPITA . On visiting the construction site , I found that the construction crew had crossed the 100' line/stake barrier to within 50' of one of the owls nests . So I went home and got my camera and proceeded to take pictures of the site 10 ways from sunday from a wide variety of angles .

Called the rescuer/rehaber and he told me that his hands were still tied a bit as to what he could do .

Soooooo ...... I went over to the secretary of the water districts house and told her of what I had seen . She is largely sympathetic to the birds plight also . But she was not aware of what i had seen , buracricies sometimes move slowly . She said that the budget had still not been aproved yet to move the owls , rehabber tells me that the more equipment/disturbance of the owls makes them edgier to trap/capture . The secretary called the project engineer and read him the riot act .

I inform powers that be (construction foreman, engineer ) that I've photographed the site THROUGHLY and am prepared to call the Fish and Wildlife (Feds) which maybe might result in fines .

I am running for Mr. Popularity , think that I will win ? See what tommorrow brings , they said that they would install temporary fence . We shall see .

[Sage]

Call the Feds immediately! Do not wait. Do not pass Go. Call the Feds. The birds can't.

[lonediver]

Originally Posted by Sage

Call the Feds immediately! Do not wait. Do not pass Go. Call the Feds. The birds can't.

Boy , you really want me to win the popularity contest don't you ! For once in my life I was trying to practice a "little" diplomacy .

But after promising me yesterday that they would not go over the line and they did later in the day , can they be trusted ?

Likely not , they want a paycheck . Not thier neighborhood . I believe I will take your advice sage .

BTW: Can I move in with you after my house burns down ?

Movin' from PITA TO SPITA .

[lonediver]

Well Sage ,

I fought the good fight . Momentarily it is a truce . I called U.S. Fish and Wildlife in Phoenix who told me I needed to talk to one of two persons in Tucson . Left messages and finally earlier In the afternoon of Wensday got the person I needed . Gave her the story as I saw it . She called other people , talked to me again . Then she called other people and called me again promising to call me back today . Mid afternoon we had not gotten back together , so I called her .

The end result was the construction company did in fact put up a little more definitive barrier . Fence posts with yellow warning tape . Construction personnel is supposed to be definitely informed to NOT cross the yellow tape line some 100 feet from any of the nests . Vehicle or personnel . So I have gained the birds that much . Once the drilling is done for the well and the equipment is removed , give the birds a breather to relax and then they will be trapped and removed before the second phase of construction .

Hopefully this will transpire before they lay eggs end of march -early april . .Early to mid march is the goal for the moment . So , so long as the truce holds the birds have a little breathing room and time . Rehabber-trapper says that with the construction going on the birds will be harder to trap at this time .

So we wait . And I will continue to watch , monitor the truce .

Fish and wildlife that they could not force any more action unless some of the birds were in fact killed or nests destroyed . I know sad state of affairs but that is what I was told . This is as good as it will get .

Keep your fingers crossed .

[Bulucanagria]

Look whooo I found. Driving up a desert road at @ 40 mph (the only way to smooth them out), I caught him out of the corner of my eye standing on top of his burrow. I stopped and reversed back to the place and he took off but landed close enough for me to get this confirming picture. I reconnoitred the area and as I did his mate flew out of the burrow as well. I didn't find any other nests but I'm sure they're there. Now that I know where it is I'm going to try to go back over the next few days and see what I can find, discreetly.
After hearing all the talk about burrowing owls here on the board I was very excited to finally see one. Thanks to everybody for the education.

[havalotta]

Lucky you! Looking forward to seeing what you sneak in on.