Wonderful story about adapting human recreation to wildlife’s habitat, apparently maybe improving it in the process.
Birdies par for the course
Davis golf managers take special care of owls
By Bill Lindelof - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PDT Saturday, June 16, 2007
At nest site No. 17, also known as the fifth-hole tee at Wildhorse Golf Course in Davis, Kimberly West had something of a birdie binge of her own.
Volunteer bird counter West tallied nine burrowing owls, a state species of special concern.
Oblivious to a golfer who shanked his shot and loudly expressed his displeasure, the owls bobbed and flitted around their hole-in-the-ground home.
In the past few years, according to the city of Davis, the bird's numbers have been largely stable in town because of the efforts of the Burrowing Owl Preservation Society, Wildhorse Golf Course managers and land use decisions that preserved open space.
