Becoming a Burrowing Owl Buddy

One could not have asked for a more shelltastic day as families flew to Mackle Park for the sixth annual Burrow Buddies Day, hosted by Audubon Western Everglades.

“This is such a fun event and it has grown in notoriety over the years because people remember it from last year.” Lori Beall, Program Director for Audubon Western Everglades, gestured to the inviting lineup of 12 vendors and engaging craft, game, and information stations. “The purpose is to educate people on the burrowing owls and the gopher tortoises and to take care of the nature around you.”

The event was ideal for children and adults alike with lots to do, see, and touch. Children could paint a clay tortoise and owl, design an owl mask, get their face painted, and even decorate a burrowing owl perch that will later be placed in one of the burrows on the island.

Thirty volunteers helped with the planning and execution of the event alongside several Marco Island Academy Key Club members. Pam Fawcett was one of these many smiling faces. She started volunteering in 2019, doing shorebirds with Audubon Western Everglades Wildlife Biologist Brittany Piersma, and now assists with the gopher tortoises and burrowing owls, too. “I've done this event every year,” Fawcett said, knowing the importance of furthering one’s education on the topic of the day.

“Burrow Buddies Day has been one of my favorite community events to organize,” said Piersma. “This is our sixth annual celebration highlighting two important and state-threatened species living on Marco Island - gopher tortoises and burrowing owls,” Piersma could be found at one of the stations, ready to share helpful information.

Paddy G played lively music as families moved from station to station.

A fun way for the children to absorb the day's information was through a worksheet. After they learned something at each station, they would ask the vendor for a trivia question. When they got it right, they would get a sticker to put on their sheet. Once they visited all the tables and the sheet was full, they could trade it in for a special prize, making the day even more educational, memorable, and fun.

In addition to the educational stations, there were many hands-on stops including feeding a turtle, sorting through burrowing owl pellets to pick out bones (with tweezers, of course!), and even a gopher tortoise-themed game on the basketball court.

Audubon’s newest initiative, Nature Where We Live, had a visual diorama manned by Audubon Western Everglades Policy Director, Brad Cornell, “People think biodiversity decline and climate change are international and that they can’t do anything about it. But that’s not true. With 80% of the land in the United States being private, the solution is where we live, making our yards more wildlife, pollinator, and bird friendly,” said Cornell.

With information and a checklist for people to take with them, the initiative focuses on eight steps to help the slow disappearance of nature. “We have lost almost 30% of North American birds since 1970. There is a decline of insects, with 40% of the species threatened with extinction,” said Cornell. As birds are insectivorous, these staggering statistics are not good.

Going a step further, butterflies and bees – known pollinators - additionally need safety and their own places to eat for survival. Pollinators are responsible for 35% of our food in the U.S.

With 80% of U.S. land privately owned, the solution is in our hands and in our yards. This is where the Nature Where You Live initiative comes in:

1. Plant native plants in your yard or garden. Birds, butterflies, and bees love them!
2. Use non-poisonous rodent control. Burrowing Owls eat dead rats and later die from the poison inside. Sealing your home is another great measure!
3. Trash Management. Don’t feed wildlife by not properly securing your garbage.
4. Lights out at night. We don’t like lights on at night and neither does wildlife!
5. Cats indoors! Outdoor cats kill over two billion birds per year.
6. Install a burrowing owl starter burrow in yards where owls are nearby. For more information, contact owlwatchmarco@gmail.com.
7. Make all windows and glass safe for birds to avoid collisions. Feather Friendly stickers are a great way to do this!
8. Vote for Nature. How can you help restore and protect life on Earth?

Cornell held up a ballot box where kids can vote yes or no for nature, and on the back they can write out their own ideas on how they can save more birds, butterflies, and bees. “It only works if all of us participate,” said Cornell.

With another memorable event in the books, families, volunteers, and the staff of Audubon Western Everglades already can’t wait for next year!

“I want to personally thank Marco PD Code Enforcement, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida von Arx Hospital, Seal Em Out LLC, Conservation Collier, the Naples Zoo, the Naples Preserve, the Florida Native Plant Society Coccoloba/Naples Chapters, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Panther Refuge, SWFL CISMA-Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Earth Tech, Marco Island Academy students, and Brian McLaren for hosting tables with further education and outreach,” said Piersma expressing her gratitude. After all, we are in this together!