The Manitoba Burrowing Owl Recovery Program

05/09/2026

What better way to celebrate World Migratory Bird Day then with a wild Burrowing Owl sighting!

So far we have confirmed five wild owls in Manitoba and have three more reports to follow-up on of a possible pair and two individuals! A great start to the season!

Burrowing Owls in Canada are a migratory species that arrive in Manitoba usually late April and early May. They travel quite the distance from Manitoba through the Mississippi and Central flyways (super highways for birds) all the way to the Gulf of Mexico and into Mexico!

There are still a lot of unanswered questions about the challenges the owls are facing along migration that we are hoping to answer with technology like satellites transmitters. We can do our best here to help Burrowing Owls but we also need to understand what happens when they leave to ensure they can return the following season safely.

Take a moment today to take in the beauty of the birds in your community. There are so many birds still arriving. It's a wonderful time of year!

05/08/2026

Traveling around southwestern Manitoba for 4 presentations in the last 24 hours. We also set up release enclosures to reintroduce 12 burrowing owls. Busy spring days with my favorite sidekick, Bindi.

04/28/2026

A little Windy for our Bindi today. Last presentation for April at Ecole Birds Hill school. The grade 1s and 2s were so excited to meet Bindi and they had so many great questions!

04/27/2026

If you're in the Killarney area, be sure to register and come by!

We're so excited to welcome Alex and Bindi back to the library!

Alex, from the Manitoba Burrowing Owl Recovery Program, will be joining us for a special presentation on burrowing owls and how we can help protect them.

After the talk, you'll have a chance to meet Bindi the Burrowing Owl up close during a meet & greet!

Please RSVP by phone or in person at the library. Space is limited.

04/23/2026

Whoo loves owl cookies and burrowing owls!? We do 👋 thanks to our friend for making these custom cookie for the students for their visit with Bindi. They are obviously Bindi approved looking at her wide-eyed expression 😁

03/07/2026

We are happy to announce that we will be back at RETLife this spring on May 27th at Ecole Regent Park! Get your tickets at the link here!
https://retlife.ca/product/burrowing-owls-the-conservation-of-an-endangered-species-thursday-may-27-2026-ecole-regent-park/

03/07/2026

Bindi had a great time today meeting some new and old friends. Thanks for having us today!

🦉🐦🦅🦆🦢🐦‍⬛

03/04/2026

A great way to get involved in citizen science!

03/03/2026

Today is World Wildlife Day. It's important to recognize that the diversity in wildlife and wild places allows us to survive. Biodiversity is life!

We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to help the often-overlooked burrowing owl. Some argue that "burrowing owls are too expensive to save." But how can we put a price on a species? Why do their lives seem to hold little value? Every species plays a unique role in the ecosystem, and disregarding any of them is harmful. Humans tend to be reactionary rather than precautionary, especially when financial interests are involved. This mindset is detrimental to conservation efforts. Doing nothing is, in our opinion, the worst possible action.

Who is responsible for the plight of burrowing owls and other grassland-dependent species that are experiencing significant declines across North America? Surely, it's not the birds, bees, or owls that are to blame. Days like today remind us of our mission and purpose: to advocate for those who cannot speak for themselves. No matter how slow the progress may be, we are committed to making a positive difference for burrowing owls.

In the words of the wonderful Steve Irwin -We don't own the planet; we belong to it. And we must share it with our wildlife.

02/19/2026

A great short documentary highlighting the connection of cattle ranching and grassland biodiversity. Bindi and Alex have a small cameo in the doc and Bindi is featured at the beginning of the trailer.

We are happy to have support from Manitoba Beef Producers again this season for our programs work!

Thank you again for supporting our important work for burrowing owls in southwestern Manitoba.

This is "Homes On The Range - Trailer" by [email protected] on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

02/14/2026

You'll owl be our favorites! Thanks for being here and enjoy your valentines with the people most important to you!
Happy talon-tines from Team Burrowing Owl. ❤️🦉