Cape Coral, Florida, residents are sounding the alarm after they say the city’s sidewalk construction displaced a burrowing owl nest. The species is threatened in the state of Florida, which locals say should’ve prevented the project from moving forward, according to Gulf Coast News.
Residents have been speaking out about the decision to displace the owls, with some locals saying that they should’ve found a way to coexist with the owls while finishing the city’s project, which involved the construction of a new block of sidewalk along Orchid Boulevard.
Now that the owls have officially been displaced, some residents say they are trying to help the birds of prey out by digging holes in their yards to encourage them to stick around.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like any owls have taken the bait yet, but since they appear to still be in the area, there may be some hope.
Residents Complained About the Project Before it Began
Gulf Coast News says that residents raised concerns with the city as soon as they got wind that the project would disrupt the nest. “We have quite a few in our neighborhood,” Lauren Lopez told reporters recently. “The kids love seeing them. We have one that just moved across the street.”
However, the city reached out to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and applied for the necessary permits to complete the project, much to the dismay of local homeowners.
“It’s honestly heartbreaking,” Lopez continued. “I wish there was a way that we could coexist with our environment and where we didn’t have to push the wildlife out of their homes.”
Another resident named Christopher Kartes told the publication that he is trying to provide a place for the owls to stay now that their home is gone, digging holes in his yard to offer additional options for a habitat in the area.
People Have Taken Photos of The Displaced Owls
A photo shared on Facebook shows a lone owl sitting in the dirt while looking towards construction barriers. “A Cape Coral woman says she’s upset that the city cleared a burrowing owl nest at the edge of her yard to build a sidewalk,” the caption on Peter Busch’s Facebook post said. “Now the owl is just standing there in the open. Her friend sent me this picture. The house is near Orchid Boulevard and Del Prado in the southeast Cape. The city says they applied for the necessary permits with FWC.”
Part of the outrage over the displacement of the owls comes from the fact that the owls have been listed as a threatened species by the FWC, which calls the native owl imperiled. Burrowing owls are among the smallest of Florida’s owls, and they only grow to reach a total length of nine inches.
The biggest threat to these birds remains loss of habitat. While it sounds like the city followed the steps required of it by the FWC, it’s understandable why locals are so upset at seeing the burrows removed.