This page contains the material submitted to the local paper - The Davis Enterprise - for Explorit Science Center's news column published in that paper on Fridays.

EXPLORIT PRESENTS "A CLOSER LOOK AT BURROWING OWLS"

At Explorit Science Center's next "Meet the Scientist" program on Saturday, June 24, ecologist Brenda Johnson will discuss "A Closer Look at Burrowing Owls." Johnson conducted her Ph. D. studies on the burrowing owls of this area.

This free program, scheduled weeks before the discing at Mace Ranch Park, will feature two formal presentations given both before and after a 45-minute guided outdoor viewing. The program starts at 10 a.m., followed by the field observation and then another slide talk at 11 a.m. Participants who wish to join in the outdoor tour are encouraged to bring their own binoculars or spotting scopes.

Burrowing owls are especially interesting because some of their behaviors are so different from most other owls. Instead of nesting in a tree, they live and raise their young underground in abandoned ground squirrel burrows. And while other owls are nocturnal, active and hunting at night, burrowing owls are diurnal, which means they are active and hunt during the day.

What does a burrowing owl, Athene cunicularia, look like? Slightly comical--- a 10" tall body atop spindly legs, with a short tail. Their feathers are mottled brown or sandy, with distinctive white "eye brows" above flat facial disks. Females tend to be larger and darker; juveniles are lighter. An owl's wingspan is about 22 inches and they weigh about 5 ounces. They can be seen during the day standing on the ground near their burrows, or on fence or sign posts, sometimes bobbing up or down.

Where do burrowing owls live? The western North and South Americas from southern Canada to Tierra del Fuego, Florida and the West Indies. In California, a 1993 study by the Institute for Bird Populations census found that 90% of burrowing owls live in wide, flat lowland valleys and basin bottoms, and in coastal plains.

Burrowing owls usually adopt vacated burrows created by small mammals such as ground squirrels. If not disturbed, owls will use the same burrow year after year. When hunting, they can hover 20 feet above the ground. Their flight is low and undulated (like waves) and at a speed of 12 m.p.h.

What do they eat? Burrowing owls munch on insects like grasshoppers, beetles, moths, crickets, caterpillars, and dragonflies (caught in mid-air!). They also eat small mammals such as mice, rats, young prairie dogs, rabbits, gophers, chipmunks, shrews and bats. Occasionally they will eat small birds, frogs, toads, snakes, salamanders, fishes, scorpions, centipedes and crayfish. They have the curious habit of following a moving dog or horse, apparently to catch any acceptable prey stirred up by it.

What sounds do burrowing owls make? When alarmed, their most common call is the tremulous chattering, cack-cack-cack or quick-quick-quick. At night, they utter a high mournful cry, coo-coo-roo or co-hoo, like the call of a dove, but at a higher pitch. Other calls are a sharp chuck!, and a scream followed by a series of chattering noises.

From March through June they lay about 6 to 11 white eggs. These owls have a unique strategy to prevent predators, like rattlesnakes or feral cats from eating their eggs or young owls. To discourage entry into their burrow, the parent owls line the nest and opening with odorous livestock dung! Both sexes help out with egg incubation, which lasts for about 28 days. The owl's age span is about 8 years.

If you'd like to know more about burrowing owls, and possibly see some in the field, attend Explorit's Meet the Scientist featuring Brenda Johnson June 24 at Explorit Science Center, 3141 Fifth Street, Davis. For more information, call Explorit at 756-0191.

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Explorit Science Center's award-winning Web site has been chosen again as one of the "outposts" or sites where virtual and real treasures can be found in the Summer CyberSurfari.

CyberSurfari is administered by the Children's Web-Surfing Alliance, a nonprofit organization that promotes computer literacy, as well as a healthy appetite for knowledge. CSWA is "dedicated to offering students, teachers and families a safe and fun arena in which to learn online navigation, increase their web savvy, (and to) hone their deductive reasoning, communication and research skills."

The last CyberSurfari had more than 65,000 players, with 20,000 prizes distributed during the month it took for the grand prize winner to solve all of the clues.

To practice or register in advance, use the link from Explorit's Web site at www.dcn.davis.ca.us/GO/EXPLORIT or go to CyberSurfari directly at www.cybersurfari.org.