Park News Dec 6 2025
Very Shy Owl Seen Friday
The Shy Owl was hiding Friday morning and I was searching the riprap for others when Melissa Schneider called me over to see an owl on the north side. At first I could not see it at all. But Melissa pointed and pointed until I got it in my telephoto lens. Wow! Definitely an owl, just its head showing. A bump on the edge of the asphalt. Minutes earlier I had scanned the area and missed it completely. Thanks to Hawkeye Melissa, I now had pictures and video of an owl in a spot where no owl has been seen in recent years, if ever. This owl looked at me without moving or even blinking for longer than any owl I’ve ever seen. I wondered for moment if this was a plastic replica. But then it moved its head … This was seriously unlikely to be the Shy Owl in a new spot. It was a different bird. On Saturday morning, there was no sign of it. Either hiding, or moved on.
Burrowing Owl Rescue
Jonathan Hall writes from nearby Richmond, where he works for the Cogent Solutions and Supplies company:
About five weeks ago, we noticed that an owl had gotten into our warehouse. We all assumed that it would find its way out through our open bay doors and go about its business. But it didn’t. After a few days, I got concerned and wondered what kind of owl it was. Turns out it is a Burrowing Owl, which is a protected species. I was concerned that it had nothing to eat and especially nothing to drink. After a week, it had found its way out of the warehouse and onto the parking lot. It was very weak and there were crows gathering who I’m sure would gladly take the owl as a nice snack. These little owls only grow to about 8 inches tall! It was cowering in a corner trying to hide from the crows. I called the Lindsay Wildlife Center in Walnut Creek to see what I could do. They said if I could catch it, do so and bring it over. I took off my pink safety vest and after a few attempts, managed to throw it over the poor thing, placed it in a box and raced over to the Center. After a day, the Center told me it was emaciated, dehydrated, anemic and had lead poisoning! It wouldn’t eat on its own and they had to tube feed it. The prognosis wasn’t good. Slowly but surely, it got stronger, started to eat mice on its own and was transferred to a large aviary. It no longer has lead poisoning and has become strong and ornery. I’m very proud to say that today it was released back into the wild where I hope it will lead a normal Burrowing Owl life.
Jonathan adds that he would have liked the owl to be released in Chavez Park, about two miles away, but Fish and Wildlife regulations require release as near as possible to the point of capture, so the bird was released on the grounds of the UC Berkeley Richmond Field Station adjacent to the company warehouse.
Paul Hara, a videographer, created this video about the experience:
Elusive Rock Wren Preening
While vainly scanning the riprap on the east shore of the Burrowing Owl Sanctuary, I had the good fortune to catch the elusive Rock Wren in its morning preening ritual. Only a few photographers, notably the excellent Hao Tran, have captured still images of this bird. I was very lucky to capture a minute’s video.
Winter Solstice Gathering Sunday Dec 21
Vivian White, on behalf of the Solar Calendar group, has issued this invitation:
At the turning of each season, we gather to commemorate the passage of time, connecting with our ancestors and people around the world who celebrate seasonal patterns of the sun. These are moments to be together, honoring the seasons of agriculture, the four directions, and the four key virtues of Chávez – hope, determination, courage, & tolerance. Join us this month for a celebration of the returning of the light!
Sunday, December 21st, 2025 – 4 pm to 5:15 pm
Celebrate the Astronomical and Cultural significance of the Winter Solstice and festivals of earth’s resting season.
Chávez / Huerta Virtue: Tolerance / Non Violence
Led by Alan Gould, Lawrence Hall of Science and Bryan Mendez of the Space Sciences Lab, UCB
Cesar Chavez Memorial Solar Calendar
Perimeter Trail, Berkeley, CA 94720
(Rain cancels but some brave souls often show up anyway!)
Join the Solar Calendar’s Google Calendar if you want to be automagically reminded each season.
Share with friends!
Yuck Returning
Park visitor Roger Herried picked up these three cigarette butts in a few minutes on the east side. Earlier he collected eight of them near the benches by the parking circle on the west side. This is a disgusting development. It’s illegal to smoke in the park. The concern is not only to prevent fires and to stop littering. It’s also an issue for wildlife, as birds will pick up butts and put them into their nests where they will poison baby chicks. There’s just no excuse for this. The apparent increase in smoking, despite historically low levels, may reflect a recent trend to glamorize smoking in media, both theatrical and social. The tobacco companies are no doubt stoking this fancy with all their subtle craft. It’s now considered “cool” and “rebellious” by some GenZ influencers to be seen with cigarettes, according to reports. Yuck.
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Thank you, Mr. Hall. You are a hero.
Thank you so much for the post about cigarettes. I’ve been seeing SO much glorifying of it in films and TV shows now. I know being forced to breathe it affected my health growing up, and it was hell for so many years being exposed everywhere in public, but finally there are laws. (Though the toxic laundry and other scented product industries are pushing that poison in the media.) And now the vulnerable little animals have to deal with it. I wish the trendy people could see my mother dying from emphysema after smoking all her life.
Great news and photos and video about the birds!