We got our freezer now we would appreciate any help to allow us to continue to protect this adorable state threathened species. Why? Marco Island burrowing owls suffer from car strikes, predators, and poisoning. To determine whether an owl died of rodenticide or some other toxin, we need to preserve it and send it off to a lab for testing. A fridge where volunteers can drop off deceased owls will greatly enhance our ability to test. Gathering mortality data is an essential part of protecting these precious birds.
A day in the field for me and our dedicated Owl Watch volunteers can be unpredictable. It often starts at 6am, checking the roped off areas and pylons protecting an owl burrow before spending a few hours carefully trapping and banding the little cuties. Later, I might get a call about an overgrown starter burrow. Donning my gloves and eye protection, I’ll weedwhack it back into move-in ready status. PVC pipe, rope, weedwhackers, fuel, signage, live-catch traps, landscaping fabric - for such tiny little owls, they require a lot of time and materials! All told, it takes over $10,000 for each season of Owl Watch.
We would be grateful for your gift to support the purchase of critical owl watch supplies, including a new fridge. A gift of any size makes a difference. Thank you for caring about my work and that of our Owl Watch volunteers to keep Burrowing Owls around for years to come.