Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/258790
W e s t W o r l d >> s p r i n g 2 0 1 4 25 24 W e s t W o r l d >> s p r i n g 2 0 1 4 Long skeins of sandhill cranes circle above, so high they appear as only a smudge against the storm clouds. Their cries are clear and full of promise. It's been a long day, but the season's schedule has just begun. Meads works with a number of volunteers but is sometimes all on her own. The burrows must now be checked every two to three days, food must be brought in and after 10 days, the tent will be removed. If the pairing is successful, eggs are laid in clutches of six to 12, white eggs as small and round as Scotch mints. The female sits on the nest for 25 days, while her mate forages for food: small rodents, insects and grasshoppers. Volun- teers regularly monitor the egg and hatch count – and provide extra food. Meads wears two hats: in addition to her work with the burrowing owl reloca- tion program, she is the executive manager for SORCO, the South Okanagan Rehabilita- tion Centre for Owls, a busy job on its own. This centre and the new burrowing owl breeding facility share the same wooded lot in the valley north of Oliver. One owl, Pilot, makes his home here. He is a "display bird," partly tame, and happily accompanies Meads to schools and public events. Koko, alias 29/N, is a part-time resident. Bred at over the site, raising hopes they would nest there. When the four pairs of owls have all been placed and secured, we trudge back to our cars and on to the Okanagan's second site, where three more pairs will be placed. It's a bit of a rough hike and steep climb to this one, high above the Similkameen River. And the wind blows cold. But as I plunge through the sagebrush, enjoying the pungent smells and happy to be plant- ing new life in the desert grasslands, sud- denly there are wild calls from the sky. (above) Volunteer donna Heard cuddles hatchlings taken from their nest for banding (right). A group of volunteers (below) witnesses the placement of nesting owls. the mesh tent over the burrow entrance protects the new birds from predators and stays in place for 10 days. p22-26_Burrowing Owl.indd 24 14-01-29 10:32 AM