Owls take up residence in new visitor's quarters

Posted September 16, 2010
By Patrick Bloodgood
Norfolk District Public Affairs

09/16/2010 - LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. — Even before construction of the new 220-room Langley Air Force Base Visitor's Lodging Facility is completed, the first short-term guests have moved in.

A family of barn owls -- mom, dad and three babies -- has taken up residence inside hollow steel tubing, causing construction workers to work around and modify their construction plans.

When the owls first appeared on the construction site, project managers looked into possibly moving them, allowing the work to continue as planned.

The birds are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act; therefore, you need a permit to move a bird away from its natural setting, especially during the nesting season, said Thomas Olexa, a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Armed with that knowledge and seeing that the location of the nest would not pose an issue for construction workers, the Corps contractor Blue Ridge General came up with an alternative plan.

The project manager with the contractor said, "Hey, it is not going to interfere with our work, we will go ahead and work around them until they fledge and leave the nesting site," said Olexa.

According to Olexa, the average nesting period lasts five to eight weeks, and even though work has continued, those overseeing the project site believe the visitors will pack their bags soon and vacate their lodging quarters.

"We are about five weeks into (the nesting season) now so we are hoping that in two- to three- weeks they will be gone," said Kim Wilhelm, a construction representative for the Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, who is managing the military construction project.

Once the owls have vacated the building, contractors will finish the work in the area the birds took up residence.

"We'll have to go back and remobilize to fill in the hole, but Blue Ridge General has been very careful to work around the situation," said Wilhelm.

Biologists say this type work is a testament to how man and nature can work together.

"It's a great success story; this is a good example of being a steward of the environment," said Olexa.

Those working on the project say they are going to be gracious hosts in another way as well.

"We're not going to make them pay a bill," said a smiling Wilhelm.