No Canopy Entries

Newer publications by Burrowing Owl researchers (like Jack Barkley’s paper and this article from the Global Owl Project) recommend some kind of entry protection. Bitter experience with crushed entries trapping owls and chicks picked off by predators has shaped a change in the rules of the game - at least when using 4” corrugated drain pipe. Nevertheless, most installations with 4” pipe still don’t have any protection and the owls still use them.
“Natural” holes don’t have armored entries either except when the burrowers can exploit cooperative, rocks, sidewalks, pavement and the like. In these burrows chicks often (always?) enlarge the entry. Watch this movie clip closely to see one enthusiastic chick caught in the act. The soil berm built up around a hole during excavation makes an owl-sized foxhole that helps hide an owl that’s taking a peek at the surroundings, but it won’t foil a hawk or Great-horned Owl bent on BuOw for breakfast. It also doesn’t add crush resistance. At least squirrel holes probably have more than one way out. Many human-built burrows are still installed with only one opening. If that’s blocked, the burrow is instantly converted to a coffin.
What to do? As always, it depends on your particular situation. What are your hazards? No traffic? Occasional foot traffic? Wandering cattle? Heavy mowers? Choose something that fits both you and your site. Are you time rich? Time poor?
Cheap, easy solutions like the Reversible Pot Canopy, Half-block in a Foxhole and the (admittedly flimsy) Gazebo make it simple to err on the side of safety. BuOws quickly adopted the canopies installed at Wildhorse Golf Course. Great little opportunists that they are, I suspect they’d speedily follow suit in other areas.

Notice the chicks under the gazebo hug the canopy, not the shade!

The chick in the pipe above actually has more room than usual in 4” pipe as there’s a coupling on the end of this piece.

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