A Species of Special Concern

We went down to Chavez Park on the north end of the Berkeley Marina today to look for this sign.

It's on a fence protecting a small area of the park. Part of it says this.

At Cesar E. Chavez Park we are very fortunate to have several increasingly rare and threatened Western Burrowing Owls that spend the winter here.

After migrating hundreds of miles from Canada and the Northern US, the owls arrive exhausted and very hungry. They depend on the park to survive the winter, hunting and resting before migrating back to their spring/summer breeding grounds.

The Western Burrowing Owl is 8-10 inches tall, with long legs, a short tail, spotted feathers, and yellow eyes and bill. They dwell in burrows on the ground, and in rocky outcroppings. They hunt insects, rodents, and other small prey, and favor grasslands, open fields, and areas with low vegetation.

Nesting and wintering populations in California are in steep decline, particularly in the East Bay. Wintering populations arrive in Berkeley in November and leave in late March to early April.

Then we saw this little guy.

Here's another shot of him. He was very attentive.

And here's another bird sunning and sleeping just outside it's burrow.

Another beautiful EastBay SunDay. I like "spring forward".