Florida Residents Heartbroken After a Construction Project Displaces Threatened Owl’s Nest

Cape Coral residents say a sidewalk project displaced a threatened burrowing owl’s nest, prompting concerns about habitat loss.

Gulf Coast News/Youtube

NEED TO KNOW

Cape Coral residents are upset after a sidewalk project displaced a threatened burrowing owl nest

The city obtained permits from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission but locals remain concerned about habitat loss

Neighbors are digging new holes for the owls as the birds continue to linger in the area

Residents of Cape Coral, Fla., are heartbroken after they say a city sidewalk project displaced the nest of at least one burrowing owl, a species classified as threatened in the state.

According to Gulf Coast News, the project involved building a new block of sidewalk along Orchid Boulevard; neighbors say they raised concerns with the city as soon as they learned it would disrupt the nesting site of local burrowing owls.

“We have quite a few in our neighborhood,” resident Lauren Lopez told the outlet. “The kids love seeing them. We have one that just moved across the street,” adding that her son even nicknamed one of the birds Theodore.

The city reportedly reached out to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and applied for the necessary permits to complete the construction project back in May. However, local homeowners are requesting a different route to be taken to save the nests.

“It’s honestly heartbreaking,” Lopez added. “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.”

The situation drew wider attention after a photo circulated on Facebook showing a lone owl sitting in the dirt, facing a row of 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,” journalist Peter Busch wrote in the post. “Now the owl is just standing there in the open.”

Busch added that the home was near Orchid Boulevard and Del Prado in the southeast part of the city, and that “the city says they applied for the necessary permits with FWC.”

Related Stories

Some residents have taken matters into their own hands. Christopher Kartes told Gulf Coast News he has been digging holes in his yard to give the owls somewhere to go now that their home is gone.

According to FWC, the burrowing owl is one of Florida’s smallest owls, reaching a total length of about 9 inches. The commission lists the native bird as threatened and describes it as imperiled, with habitat loss remaining its biggest threat.

Human Interest

Animals

Wild Animals