Sask. drivers warned to watch for burrowing owls
CBC News | Posted: August 1, 2017 12:14 PM | Last Updated: August 1, 2017
Low-flying young owls out hunting at dusk
Nature Saskatchewan is asking drivers to keep an eye out for burrowing owls on rural roads this summer.
The burrowing owl population is still in decline, making the survival of each individual owl critical for the population, the group says.
It's the time of year when young burrowing owls leave the nest and start foraging for themselves.
That means many of them will be hunting along the roads at dusk, when the road surfaces tend to be warmer than the surrounding grasslands and attract insects and rodents.
The group is asking drivers to slow down near known or potential nest sites and keep an eye out for low-flying owls.
About half of the 800 remaining pairs of burrowing owls breed in Saskatchewan, nesting in abandoned burrows made by badgers and gophers.
Anyone who sees a burrowing owl is encouraged to report it to Nature Saskatchewan's Hoot Line 1-800-667-HOOT (4668) to help with population monitoring.