Something completely unexpected happened at one of the smallest pop-up markets I've ever been to. It was a beautiful late January day in Saint Pete, Florida, and there really weren't too many people walking around at the market. I remember looking up at the crystal clear blue sky feeling like something amazing was about to happen. That's when a woman approached my booth.
She immediately picked up an art print of my barn owl painting, and her eyes lit up! She began asking me questions about how long I've been painting for and what my business goals are. Then she revealed who she was - an avian biologist and one of the founders of an incredible organization called Project Perch, a non-profit organization that protects and nurtures burrowing owls in Florida.
What are burrowing owls?
If you don't know what a burrowing owl is, just imagine the most adorable little bird with long legs and a white unibrow giving you the stink eye (pictured below to help).
Burrowing owls are listed as threatened in the United States and Mexico, and endangered in Canada. They live in the rare remnants of open desert scrub habitat and actually create their own burrows for nesting and roosting. Nesting season begins late March or April, and breeding pairs will nest together - sometimes in colonies as well! Burrowing owls are slightly tolerant of human presence, so they've been known to create nesting burrows near airports, golf courses, agricultural fields, and even near homes, farms, and roads! They are also keen on using artificially made burrows, which organizations like Project Perch have implemented as part of their owl restoration program. Owls will also reuse nests for several years in a row if the nest is kept clean enough and hasn't been destroyed by predators or human activities.
Burrowing owls have a few natural predators, such as badgers, coyotes, and snakes. They're also continuously threatened by domestic dogs and cats as well as over mowing of their habitats. When threatened, burrowing owls will retreat into their burrows and make a hissing sound that mimics the sounds of a rattlesnake's rattle! To many animals that understand the dangers of rattlesnakes, predators avoid snooping around the burrow for their own safety. What a cool display of mimicry in the animal world!
What part does Project Perch play in burrowing owl population restoration?
1. They promote burrowing owl population expansion on private property that contains suitable habitat. They work closely with landowners and create artificial burrows for the owls! Their motto is "if you create it, they will come", and they are absolutely right - the owls use the artificial burrows! They even have Live cams at some of the burrow entrances so you can enjoy burrowing owls in this very moment!
2. They seek out and educate burrowing owl "caretakers" to keep tabs on existing burrowing owl populations. They call these caretakers Owl Guardians.
3. Project Perch has worked with kids from over 50 local schools! Their youth programs educate about ways kids can care for, protect and nurture burrowing owls. They even have programs to help children construct artificial burrows for the owls.
Their website has a lot of important information about burrowing owls in Florida, especially as their open desert scrub habitat has been rapidly diminishing.
What part will Wild Planet Creations play in the partnership with Project Perch?
We are helping Project Perch with burrowing owl awareness! I will be creating a 3 watercolor painting series highlighting uniqueness of burrowing owl characteristics and behaviors! With those paintings, we plan to create stickers that people of all ages can enjoy! Each sticker will be accompanied with a burrowing owl ID card describing the characteristic or behavior being depicted. For example, one of my first paintings will be highlighting how the mother regularly cleans out burrows of dirt, feces and parasites. This means dust is flying everywhere, especially onto the chicks and other members of the colony! Project Perch has connections with a few highly regarded, ethical wildlife photographers who have photographed this burrow clean-out occurring. I now have permission to use these as reference photos for my first painting!
Stay tuned for the themes of the other two watercolor paintings in the series!
I am so excited to advocate for these incredible animals through my artwork! I can't wait to see where this partnership goes!
As always, thank you for reading this blog post and for supporting Wild Planet Creations! I appreciate you more than you know!