Curious about the secret lives of these tiny, mighty owls? Join the Clark County Wetlands Park for a fun and informative lecture on “The Secret Lives of Burrowing Owls,” Saturday, November 16, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. presented by the Wetlands Park Friends. Light refreshments will be provided.

The lecture, “The Secret Lives of Burrowing Owls,” will be presented by Richard “Rick” Walker, D.D.S., M.Ed., a retired UNLV professor and outdoor photographer. Rick is also an owl monitor at the Rainbow Owl Preserve in northwest Las Vegas and an ambassador for the Red Rock Audubon Society in their efforts to foster a bird-friendly community. 

The Rainbow Owl Preserve is a joint venture of Dr. and Mrs. Brownstein, the Red Rock Audubon Society, Gilcrease Orchard and the Nevada Fish and Wildlife Service. Their aim is to preserve land for burrowing owls near Gilcrease Orchard before all adjacent land was developed for housing. Monitors document the owls' behavior and success rate of nesting on two lots with human-made burrows. 

The presentation will provide insights into the owls' appearance, unique adaptations, desert habitat, and migration patterns. Rick Walker will share videos showing the feeding of the incubating female, an owl casting an owl pellet, the feeding of the flightless owlets and their rapid growth, the "bobble-head" behavior of the juveniles, the owls' confrontation with a coyote, and much more. You are sure to enjoy the secret lives of burrowing owls.

Wetlands Park Friends is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to promoting conservation, awareness, and appreciation of the park through its educational programs and activities. Its office is located inside the Park's Administration Building in the Nature Center, 7050 Wetlands Park Lane, Las Vegas, NV 89122. Its phone number is 702-806-6852. For more information, including how to become a Friend and donate, please visit www.wetlandsparkfriends.org.

For more information about this event, contact the Wetlands Park at 702 455-7522. As one of the most extensive urban wetlands in the Southwest, Clark County Wetlands Park is home to more than 300 species of birds and 70 species of mammals and reptiles, including beavers, coyotes, bobcats, and snakes. The Nature Center is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday and hosts a variety of programming activities. Park outdoor hours are dawn to dusk, seven days a week. To learn more about this event and other activities available, visit the Wetlands Park pages of Clark County's Parks and Recreation Department at www.ClarkCountyNV.gov. You also can follow Clark County Wetlands Park on social media at CCWetlandsPark.