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Weather Considerations <br />Because poor weather conditions tray impact the ability to detect Bwrowing Owls, surveys should only be conducted on <br />days with little or no wind and no precipitation. <br />Passive survevs <br />Most Bwrowing Owls ate detected visually. At each swvey location, the observer should visually scan the azea to detect <br />any owls that ar'e present Some Burrowing Owls may be detected by their call, so observers should also listen for <br />Bwrowing Owl while conducting the swvey.. <br />Burrowing Owls are frequently detected soon after initiating a swvey (Conway and Simon 2003). However, some <br />Bwrowing Owls may not be detected immediately because they aze inconspicuous, are inside of borrows, or aze not <br />present on the site when the survey is initiated We recommend that swveys be conducted for 10 minutes at each swvey <br />location <br />Call-broadcast smvevs <br />To increase the likelihood of detecting Burrowing Owls, if present, we recommend incorporating call-broadcast methods <br />into Bwrowing Owl swveys. Conway and Simon (2003) detected 22% more Bwrowing Owls a[point-count locations by <br />broadcasting the primary male (coo-coo) and alarm (quick-quick-quick) calls dwing swveys. Although call-broadcast <br />may increase the probability of detecting Bunowing Owls, most owls will still be detected visually. <br />We recommend the following 10-minute timeline for incorporating call-broadcast methods (Conway and Simon 2003, C <br />Conway pers common) the observer should scan the azea for Burrowing Owls dwing the entire survey period. <br />• 3 minutes of silence <br />• 30 seconds call-loadcast of'primary call (coo-coo) <br />• 30 seconds silence <br />• 30 seconds call-broadcast of ptimazy call (coo-coo) <br />• 30 seconds silence <br />• 30 seconds call-broadcast of alarm call (quick-quick-quick) <br />• 30 seconds silence <br />• 4 minutes of silence <br />Calls can be broadcast from a "boom box" or a portable CD or cassette player attached to amplified speakers.. Calls <br />should be broadcast loudly but without distortion. <br />Compact discs recordings of this swvey sequence aze available free of chazge by contacting: <br />David Klute <br />All-bird Conservation Coordinator <br />Colorado Division of Wildlife <br />6060 Broadway <br />Denver, CO 80216 <br />Phone: 303-291-7320 <br />Email: David Klute@state.co us <br />Identifcation <br />Adult Burrowing Owls are small, approximately 9-11 inches. Ihey are brown with white spotting and white baning on <br />the chest. Ihey have long legs in compazison to other owls and are frequently seen perching on prairie dog mounds or <br />other suitable perches (e.g ,Fence posts, utility poles) near prairie dog towns. Juvenile Bwrowing Owls aze similar to <br />adults but smaller, with a white/bufl' colored chest that lacks bazting. <br />General information about Burrowing Owls is available from the Colorado Division of Wildlife website: <br />httn•//wildlife s[ate.co.us/WildlifeStxcies/ProfilesBitdsBwrowinpOwl.htm <br />Additional identification tips and information ate available from the U.S Geological Swvey Patuxent Wildlife Reseazch <br />Center website: <br />h_ptt •//www mbt-nwrc us¢s.eov/id/framistli3780id.html <br />