Wild Natomas: Short-Eared Owl Sightings

PHOTO COURTESY NERINA FIELDING
THE NATOMAS BUZZ | @natomasbuzz

Nerina Fielding reports seeing short-eared owls like this one nearly every day, hunting at dusk in the Natomas Basin Conservancy.

According to the “Audobon Guide to North American Birds,” short-eared owls are often easy to spot. They live in open terrain such as prairies and marshes and are often active during daylight, especially in the evening, reads the guide.

The Natomas Basin Conservancy provides refuge and sanctuary for wildlife displaced by urban activity in the Natomas Basin.

According to the Natomas Basin Conservancy website, the goal of the Natomas Basin habitat conservation plan is to “preserve, restore, and enhance habitat in the Natomas Basin while allowing urban development to proceed according to local land use plans.” Plan efforts focus on the conservation and protection of 22 plant and animal species — many of which are designated “threatened” or “endangered.”

The Natomas Basin habitat conservation plan was adopted in November 1997 and revised in 2003. It is meant to promote conservation as well as economic development and farming in the 53,341-acre Natomas Basin.