Tales from the Tri-Cities Burrowing Owl Nest Creation and Monitoring Project
by Jason Fidorra
Jason Fidorra, (c) WDFW
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has worked for years with many partners in the shrub-steppe habitat around the Tri-Cities area of southeastern Washington to install and maintain artificial nesting burrows for Burrowing Owls.
The Burrowing Owl population has declined due to conversion of nesting habitat and control of burrowing mammals that create spaces for the birds to nest. The project includes creating and installing artificial nesting burrows, nest monitoring, banding and equipping owls with GPS (Global Positioning System) backpacks, and tracking owls through their migration.
Jason Fidorra will share some of the results and stories from this Burrowing Owl nest project. He is a WDFW Wildlife Biologist based in the Tri-Cities who has been working on the front lines of conservation of shrub-steppe, the critical habitat for many of Washington’s species of greatest concern. He conducts surveys for a variety of wildlife, from elk to monarch butterflies, and contributes to research on burrowing owls, raptors, and game birds. Jason has worked on bird research and conservation projects across North America, as well as birding and guiding in many tropical countries.
This meeting is virtual on-line only via this Zoom link.
Or manually connect using the Meeting ID: 814 1946 0942 and Passcode: 641320.
Adult Burrowing Owl, (c) WDFW
