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To: Bluedot Living
From: Jaclyn DeSantis, Education Program Manager, Ojai Raptor Center
Subject: Prevent Wildlife Injuries
The Ojai Raptor Center (ORC) is a nonprofit wildlife rehabilitation and education center specializing in birds of prey. Annually, ORC admits approximately 1,000 sick, injured, and orphaned wild patients, aiming to release each back into their natural habitat. A significant portion of these patients are admitted due to human-induced causes such as window and car strikes, shootings, entanglement injuries, domestic cat attacks, and rodenticide toxicity. Many of these incidents are preventable.
Simple Actions You Can Take to Mitigate Everyday Risks to Wildlife:
- Reduce unnecessary light pollution at night to prevent confusion and collisions among birds.
- Apply decals to windows frequently struck by birds.
- Refrain from littering natural food items from car windows to avoid attracting wildlife to roads.
- Avoid using pesticides — not only is there no poison that is 100% “safe” for wildlife and pets, but continuously poisoning the food sources of native wildlife species will ultimately reduce their populations.
- Trim your trees between November and January to avoid disrupting or harming nesting birds. Different bird species nest from February to October. Great horned owls nest as early as January, while many songbirds start in mid to late summer, with fledging in the fall. Trimming November through January is also best for the trees.
Rodenticide Alternatives: Barn Owl Boxes and Hawk Perches
Attracting both diurnal and nocturnal raptors with barn owl boxes and hawk perches is more effective at controlling rodent populations than using rodenticide bait boxes, according to a Pilot Study with Ventura County Public Works in 2017 that included ORC. This natural alternative is not only more cost-effective but also ecologically sustainable and safer for wildlife.
Given Santa Barbara's status as an urban/wildland interface, where this natural alternative has shown higher success rates, responsible stewardship of shared natural lands becomes even more crucial.
Buy: ORC offers barn owl boxes for sale on our website for local pickup in Ojai.
DIY: Free plans for constructing owl boxes and hawk perches.
Attend: Virtual and in-person programs educate about the dangers of rodenticide poison and promote alternatives.
Visit ojairaptorcenter.org to read more about rodent control and raptors.
