Unlikely Allies in Owl Conservation (Image Credits: Unsplash)
Phoenix area – Tiny burrowing owls, often called “flying potatoes” for their plump, airborne silhouette, have established a thriving colony at the Sun Streams solar complex. Conservationists rescued these eight-inch birds from development-threatened lands and relocated them to artificial burrows nestled between the site’s expansive solar arrays. This partnership between wildlife rescuers and renewable energy developers shows promise for balancing clean energy expansion with habitat preservation.
Unlikely Allies in Owl Conservation
Greg Clark, leader of the nonprofit Wild at Heart, coined the “flying potato” nickname after spotting one in flight. “If you saw one flying by, it’d be like a flying potato,” he explained. These owls, scientifically known as Athene cunicularia, traditionally rely on prairie dog burrows for shelter. However, urban sprawl and efforts to control prairie dog populations have destroyed much of their natural habitat.
Wild at Heart steps in where development looms. The group captures owls from sites soon to be bulldozed and transports them to safer locations. Artificial burrows, crafted from plastic drums and tubes buried in the ground, mimic the owls’ preferred underground homes. This method has proven essential as natural diggers like prairie dogs disappear.
Sun Streams: From Relocation Site to Breeding Ground
The Sun Streams solar complex, operated by Longroad Energy near Phoenix, presented both a challenge and an opportunity. Before construction began, Wild at Heart removed burrowing owls from the area to protect them. In a forward-thinking move, the two organizations collaborated to install artificial burrows on unused land between the solar farms…