From Ocala.com: Betty Gilbert used to wake up at dawn, then hide in weeds or behind trash cans to take photographs of little brown owls. It was her only respite during 11 years of caring for her seriously ill husband in Cape Coral. But these owls weren't up in trees or on the tops of buildings. They made their homes in little holes around Gilbert's neighborhood. "But I thought, That can't be," Gilbert said. "A bird living in a hole in the ground?"

Burrowing owls, as they're called, are quite common in Cape Coral, said Gilbert, who now lives in Ocala. The town even holds an annual Burrowing Owl Festival. Gilbert and Erika Ritter, both members of the Marion County Audubon Society, have found 10 to 15 burrowing owls — total — in the local area. The women have identified the owls at Ocala International Airport and on private property in west Marion County.

And they're searching for more. The Marion County Audubon Society has launched a program to identify owls locally so they can be featured on the Marion County Planning Department's land-use map. Another goal of the project is to include the local owls in The Great Florida Birding Trail guide. "At this point, if people don't know they're here, they're not looking out for them," said Ritter, who also is program chair of the local Audubon Society.

The burrowing owl, with its sandy brown plumage, white spots and yellow eyes, averages about 9 inches in height and has a wingspan of 21 inches, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The FWC considers the burrowing owl a Species of Special Concern, meaning that without protection, the owl has a high vulnerability of becoming a threatened species. The fact that the owls dig holes is what makes them unique, but it is also what puts them in danger, Ritter said. "They're not the most welcomed in the type of habitat they prefer."

"The owls have a tendency to build close to roads," so vehicle collisions pose a big threat to the birds, said retired wildlife biologist Tom Allen of Cape Coral. Allen worked for the FWC and the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources. Some argue developers and builders also threaten the owls and their nests, which also are protected under the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Burrowing owls "are being killed off badly, and they're disappearing," Gilbert said. Builders now have to acquire a permit from the state in order to destroy a burrow, and that cannot be done during the nesting season, from February to July, Allen said. In Cape Coral, officials build a starter burrow nearby beforehand. "That helps maintain the population and the status quo," Allen said. The wildlife biologist said there is no official count of burrowing owls in Florida.

For Gilbert, as a full-time caregiver, the owls in Cape Coral became her refuge and her lifeline. She moved to Ocala after her husband passed away in 2002. This year, Father and Son Publishing Inc. published Gilbert's photos in her hardcover children's book "Buffy the Burrowing Owl." As Gilbert portrays in the book, the birds prefer to build up to 8-foot-long underground burrows in wide-open spaces, such as pastures and airports. They have to have that visibility to see hawk predators approaching, Allen said.

Six to 12 burrowing owls have made their home at Ocala International Airport, said operations manager Wayne Middleton. The birds are only disturbed if they interfere with the safety of an aircraft, and the staff tries to mow around the burrows whenever possible, he said. "We kind of leave them to themselves. We don't want to disturb them," said Middleton, who called the owls the friendliest of the animals at the airport. Gilbert's mission to identify and protect burrowing owls probably stems from their gift to her, when her husband was so ill. "They became my life," she said. "They gave me a life, where I had none."

Anyone who sees a burrowing owl or burrow is asked to contact Erika Ritter at 352-546-5718 or by email.