Buffy The Burrowing Owl

Betty Gilbert s delightful story about South Florida s beloved pint-sized owls introduces her readers to one of her favorite birds. His name is Buffy, and through Gilbert s engaging narrative and remarkable photographs, we are given an intimate and fascinating peek into Buffy s family life. We watch as Buffy s parent s decorate their burrow to disguise it and protect it from predators. We look on as Buffy and his siblings venture out of the burrow for the first time. And we learn about what burrowing owls eat, as well as how they sleep, play, and stay clean. This is a book that will capture the imagination of children of all ages, but more important, it teaches young readers to appreciate and respect a species that has somehow managed to survive among humans in an urban environment as development continues to encroach on its natural habitat. After many years as a wildlife biologist, studying animals, birds and their habitats, I retired and relocated to South Florida in 2003, never imagining that I would soon find myself a willing participant in a research study of Cape Coral s favorite feathered resident, the burrowing owl. Although the Fish and Wildlife study had already begun when I arrived on the scene, it wasn t long before I was totally caught up in the project. Each spring we banded a few hundred owls and also observed nesting productivity. From what I have learned over the years conducting research alongside other biologist, I can assure readers that Betty Gilbert s portrayal of a burrowing owl family s day-to-day life is informed and accurate. A little history about Buffy, also known as C-3: Buffy was originally captured and banded at a nest on the corner of Country Club Blvd. and SE 35th Terrace in Cape Coral, Florida, on May 11, 2002, along with a sibling that was banded with a Red B-3. Buffy s sibling was recaptured on June 19, 2002. Buffy was later seen on August 13, 2002, but was not seen again after that date. As with most young owls, Buffy may have moved on somewhere to establish his own burrow. Buffy s parents were never captured or banded. Unfortunately, burrowing owls face many hazards in life and most don t live more than two or three years. Buffy s dad apparently passed away in the spring of 2005 and was replaced by a new male. This new male was originally captured as a youngster on May 2, 2004, at a burrow a few blocks south of Buffy s nest site and outfitted with a Blue band B-V. When Buffy s dad died, this male moved up to the burrow and was captured there on April 16, 2005. He was recaptured at that burrow in February 2006. As I thought about that location, I remembered that recently a burrow on the very next street was flooded earlier this spring, 2008, and three owl chicks had to be rescued from the high water. Following the rescue, I had to put in a new burrow a little higher up from the swale area to protect the family from further floods. The pair of adult owls moved right in to their new home and are there today. Since Buffy s home was only a few hundred yards away, my wife and I decided to go see if Buffy s original home might still be on that corner. To our dismay a new house stood on the lot where Buffy was born and grew up. But as we drove up 35th Terrace, we noticed two new burrows are being used by descendants of Buffy s family. Owls stay in one burrow for life unless they are forced to build a new home somewhere else, and most owls that have to build somewhere do so nearby. We would like to think that it was Buffy s family we helped out during the heavy rains in April 2008, and that they and their offspring will continue to live in the neighborhood for years to come.