{"id":25914,"date":"2016-07-06T11:43:19","date_gmt":"2016-07-06T15:43:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/?p=25914"},"modified":"2016-09-01T13:25:43","modified_gmt":"2016-09-01T17:25:43","slug":"recreating-a-home-where-buffalo-can-roam-and-burrowing-owls-too","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/recreating-a-home-where-buffalo-can-roam-and-burrowing-owls-too\/","title":{"rendered":"Recreating a Home Where Buffalo Can Roam (and Burrowing Owls, Too)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!--Recreating a Big Space Where Buffalo Can Roam (and Burrowing Owls, Too)--><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group sidebar-alignright sidebar-space order-bottom\"><div class=\"article-list list-style alignright\"><h2 class=\"article-list-header\">More From Living Bird<\/h2><ul><li class=\"article-item\"><div class=\"article-item-container\"><div class=\"article-item-media  content-living-bird-toc\"><figure class=\"article-item-media-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/FI-TOC-HWOodpecker-Lammertink.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/FI-TOC-HWOodpecker-Lammertink.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/FI-TOC-HWOodpecker-Lammertink-240x135.jpg 240w, https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/FI-TOC-HWOodpecker-Lammertink-480x270.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"\" alt=\"Helmeted Woodpecker by Martjan Lammertink\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/figure><\/div><div class=\"article-item-body\"><span class=\"article-item-header\">Living Bird Summer 2016\u2014Table Of Contents<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/li><li class=\"article-item\"><div class=\"article-item-container\"><div class=\"article-item-media  content-living-bird-toc\"><figure class=\"article-item-media-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/living-bird-latest.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/living-bird-latest.png 720w, https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/living-bird-latest-240x180.png 240w, https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/living-bird-latest-480x360.png 480w\" sizes=\"\" alt=\"Living Bird-latest issue\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/figure><\/div><div class=\"article-item-body\"><span class=\"article-item-header\">Living Bird Magazine\u2014Latest Issue<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/li><li class=\"article-item\"><div class=\"article-item-container\"><div class=\"article-item-media  content-article\"><figure class=\"article-item-media-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/living-bird-acrhive.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/living-bird-acrhive.png 720w, https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/living-bird-acrhive-240x180.png 240w, https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/living-bird-acrhive-480x360.png 480w\" sizes=\"\" alt=\"Living Bird archives\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/figure><\/div><div class=\"article-item-body\"><span class=\"article-item-header\">Living Bird Magazine Archives<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group sidebar-alignright sidebar-space order-bottom\"><!--HubSpot Call-to-Action Code -->\r\n<span class=\"hs-cta-wrapper\" id=\"hs-cta-wrapper-096b8ce3-0e2d-46c5-bbf7-12de3323c8da\">\r\n    <span class=\"hs-cta-node hs-cta-096b8ce3-0e2d-46c5-bbf7-12de3323c8da\" id=\"hs-cta-096b8ce3-0e2d-46c5-bbf7-12de3323c8da\">\r\n        <!--[if lte IE 8]><div id=\"hs-cta-ie-element\"><\/div><![endif]-->\r\n        <a href=\"http:\/\/cta-redirect.hubspot.com\/cta\/redirect\/95627\/096b8ce3-0e2d-46c5-bbf7-12de3323c8da\" ><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"hs-cta-img\" id=\"hs-cta-img-096b8ce3-0e2d-46c5-bbf7-12de3323c8da\" style=\"border-width:0px;\" src=\"https:\/\/no-cache.hubspot.com\/cta\/default\/95627\/096b8ce3-0e2d-46c5-bbf7-12de3323c8da.png\"  alt=\"subscribe to Living Bird magazine\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/a>\r\n    <\/span>\r\n    <script charset=\"utf-8\" src=\"https:\/\/js.hscta.net\/cta\/current.js\"><\/script>\r\n    <script type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n        hbspt.cta.load(95627, '096b8ce3-0e2d-46c5-bbf7-12de3323c8da', {});\r\n    <\/script>\r\n<\/span>\r\n<!-- end HubSpot Call-to-Action Code -->\r\n\r\n<\/div>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.americanprairie.org\/\">American Prairie Reserve<\/a> north of the Missouri River Breaks in eastern Montana is a Burrowing Owl\u2019s paradise, a vision of the American West where sweeping grasslands roll toward a limitless horizon. Here, the long-legged, little sandy owls find wide-open spaces and plenty of potential nest holes excavated by foxes, ground squirrels, and, most commonly, prairie dogs.<\/p>\n<p>Such inviting environs for Burrowing Owls are getting harder to find in the modern West. The species once ranged as far east as western Minnesota, but as shortgrass prairie was plowed up and developed, fewer prairie dog towns were left to provide nesting habitat. Today the Burrowing Owl is listed as Endangered in Canada and Minnesota, Threatened in Colorado, and a species of special concern in seven other states, including Montana.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve taken the most productive land on the prairie and converted it to agriculture,\u201d said Marco Restani, a professor of biology at St. Cloud State University who has studied Burrowing Owls in Montana. \u201cIf the prairie dogs disappear from poisoning or plague or plowing under, the Burrowing Owls are gone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>According to the 2013 State of the Birds Report, 85 percent of grassland bird habitats are privately owned, meaning conservation for grassland birds requires cooperating with private landowners or outright buying them out. The former is a tricky exercise in relationship-building, while the latter is often cost-prohibitive. But the American Prairie Reserve is doing both, with the financial backing and business expertise of New York City investment bankers and Silicon Valley executives. And while it\u2019s ruffling a few feathers among local ranchers, some conservationists say it\u2019s the best hope for recreating and restoring a prairie ecosystem with large tracts of open land for threatened species such as Burrowing Owls, Ferruginous Hawks, Mountain Plovers, and Greater Sage-Grouse. <strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignfull size-large light\">\n                  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/PrairieDogs.jpg\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\">\n                  <figcaption>The black-tailed prairie dogs on American Prairie Reserve lands provide perfect Burrowing Owl nest spots by digging out holes with cleared-out grasses around them. Prairie dogs also provide a prime food source for other animals on the prairie, such as the Ferruginous Hawk, pictured below. <em>Photo by Randy Beacham<\/em>.<\/figcaption>\n                <\/figure>\n<h3>A Bold Plan to Save Montana&#8217;s Prairie<\/h3>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/AmericaPrairieReserve-map.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/AmericaPrairieReserve-map-720x558.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/AmericaPrairieReserve-map-768x595.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/AmericaPrairieReserve-map-480x372.jpg 480w, https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/AmericaPrairieReserve-map.jpg 1031w\" sizes=\"\" alt=\"The American Prairie Reserve lands in Montana. Map courtesy of American Prairie Reserve.\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><figcaption>The American Prairie Reserve lands in Montana. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/AmericaPrairieReserve-map.jpg\">Click here to see bigger map<\/a>. <em>Map courtesy of American Prairie Reserve<\/em>.<\/figcaption>\n              <\/figure><\/div>\n<p>In 1999, the Nature Conservancy issued a report that identified areas of the Northern Great Plains critical to restoring the habitat of the prairie ecosystem. The findings highlighted the region near the Breaks as a top priority for grasslands conservation. Shortly after the report was published, the World Wildlife Fund launched a conservation initiative that concluded the best way to protect Montana\u2019s shortgrass prairie was through the formation of a freestanding entity focused solely on preserving the ecological integrity of the Northern Great Plains. Dr. Curt Freese, director of WWF\u2019s Northern Great Plains Ecoregion Program, organized the founding of the American Prairie Reserve in June 2001.<\/p>\n<p>The nonprofit\u2019s audacious and controversial mission is to stitch together a patchwork of 3.5 million acres of public and private property\u2014connecting lands around the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge and the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument\u2014to develop a contiguous prairie-based wildlife reserve complex 50 percent larger than Yellowstone National Park.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;The project will benefit bison, Burrowing Owls, Mountain Plovers, sage-grouse.&#8221;<br \/>\n\u2014Steve Hoffman, executive director of Montana Audubon<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Thus far, the reserve has acquired 305,000 acres of deeded and leased private, BLM, and state land. It is the largest privately funded conservation effort in the U.S., with thousands of backers who chip in $20 or so annually and many wealthy donors, including the Mars family, Swiss entrepreneur Hansj\u00f6rg Wyss, and Telosa Software CEO Susan Packard Orr. The reserve\u2019s president, Sean Gerrity, is a former Silicon Valley consultant who has recruited many venture capitalists to the cause.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBeing privately funded gives us more flexibility,\u201d said Katy Teson, reserve marketing and content manager. \u201cWe can act quickly rather than having to move slower through the agencies.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/FHawk-GaryKramer.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/FHawk-GaryKramer-720x673.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/FHawk-GaryKramer-768x718.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/FHawk-GaryKramer-480x449.jpg 480w, https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/FHawk-GaryKramer.jpg 854w\" sizes=\"\" alt=\"A Ferruginous Hawk by Gary Kramer\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><figcaption>Ferruginous Hawks are supported on the prairie by prairie dog prey. <em>Photo by Gary Kramer<\/em>.<\/figcaption>\n              <\/figure><\/div>\n<p>In 2005, the reserve reintroduced American bison to its prairie holdings. The 16 animals released that year were the first to inhabit that patch of Montana prairie in 120 years. Today, a herd of more than 500 bison share the land with other native prairie wildlife including the black-tailed prairie dog, which the reserve has identified as a keystone species due to its wide-ranging impact on the ecosystem. Prairie dogs, in turn, create and maintain Burrowing Owl habitat by digging out holes in the prairie and trimming the grasses around their towns.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne thing about Burrowing Owls is that they are dependent on areas with low or little vegetation, so prairie dog towns are critical not just because of the burrows, but so the birds can see well to avoid predators,\u201d said Steve Hoffman, executive director of Montana Audubon.<\/p>\n<p>The reserve aims to create a sanctuary for all manner of native prairie species, including animals such as wolves and grizzly bears that have been pushed out of eastern Montana, in hopes that the public will come to see them, Teson said. She says the reserve could be the third point in a wildlife-watching tourism triangle connecting Yellowstone National Park to the south and Glacier National Park to the west, a Northern Great Plains equivalent to Africa\u2019s Serengeti.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe reason APR works where it does is because there is an opportunity to restore a large ecosystem where these species can find all that they need,\u201d Teson said. <strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignfull size-large light\">\n                  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/BisonHerdby-BenPierce.jpg\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\">\n                  <figcaption>The American Prairie Reserve lands in Montana are home to breeding Burrowing Owls, and prairie dog towns that are visited by herds of roaming bison. <em>Photo by Ben Pierce<\/em>.<\/figcaption>\n                <\/figure>\n<h3>Not Everyone Is Buying In<\/h3>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/BuffaloMe-720x824.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/BuffaloMe-720x824.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/BuffaloMe-768x879.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/BuffaloMe-480x549.jpg 480w, https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/BuffaloMe.jpg 822w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" alt=\"Some local ranchers resent the American Prairie Reserve\u2019s aggressive land acquisition strategy (photo at right by Rion Sanders\/Great Falls Tribune).\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><figcaption>Some local ranchers resent the American Prairie Reserve\u2019s aggressive land acquisition\nstrategy. <em>Photo by Rion Sanders\/Great Falls Tribune.<\/em><\/figcaption>\n              <\/figure><\/div>\n<p>Many in the reserve region have deep concerns about the project. Residents whose ancestors pioneered the prairie are offended when they see Mercedes Benz vans shuttling reserve donors to air-conditioned yurts. And some statements from reserve spokespeople about the region\u2014particularly regarding land stewardship and dwindling rural communities\u2014don\u2019t sit well with those who live on the prairie.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe claim that the population is declining and the land needs to be claimed and repurposed is factually inaccurate,\u201d said Taylor French, who operates a ranch with her husband in Phillips County. \u201cThe misrepresentation of Phillips County as a dying community is an injustice to the vibrancy and resilience of a population that has endured a series of hard times. However, it is also a disservice to the donors and public who trust an organization in their mission for conservation.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;If a large corporation moved into town and out-competed the mom and pop shops it would make the headlines [&#8230;], but because the businesses are ranches and the corporation is an environmental entity there is far from a national outcry.&#8221;<br \/>\n\u2014Taylor French, local rancher<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The reintroduction of bison and the reserve\u2019s vision of converting agricultural land back to native prairie also strikes a nerve. Many ranching families in Phillips County have dedicated generations of good stewardship to restore the prairie from the devastation of the Dust Bowl. They view ranching as having a positive impact on the land and wildlife. Ranching families are also concerned that the reserve\u2019s purchase of properties in the region is driving up land prices, and some fear the reserve ultimately intends to turn its landholdings over to the federal government.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe main concern with APR\u2019s land acquisition policy is that there is a scarcity of opportunities to acquire land in the area,\u201d French said. \u201cIf a large corporation moved into town and out-competed the mom and pop shops it would make the headlines and everyone would sympathize with the small businesses, but because the businesses are ranches and the corporation is an environmental entity there is far from a national outcry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In an effort to bridge the gap with ranchers, the reserve founded a subsidiary for-profit company called Wild Sky Beef. Ranchers who partner with Wild Sky are paid a premium for their beef in exchange for wildlife-friendly ranching practices, including prairie dog conservation. Currently, Wild Sky is mostly selling beef to high-end restaurants and grocers on the coasts, but there are plans to expand retail sales throughout the country.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Yurt-RionSanders.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Yurt-RionSanders-720x488.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Yurt-RionSanders-768x520.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Yurt-RionSanders-480x325.jpg 480w, https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Yurt-RionSanders.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"\" alt=\"The American Prairie Reserve offers plains camping in relative luxury with amenities such as air-conditioned yurts (above, photo by Rion Sanders\/Great Falls Tribune).\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><figcaption>The American Prairie Reserve offers plains camping in relative luxury with amenities such as\nair-conditioned yurts. <em>Photo by Rion Sanders\/Great Falls Tribune.<\/em><\/figcaption>\n              <\/figure><\/div>\n<p>Wild Sky rancher Dave Crasco grazes 50 head of cattle on 1,000 acres in Phillips County. Crasco has seen evidence of black bear and plenty of coyote on his ranch, and he thinks one day grizzly bears will return to the prairie. He said working with Wild Sky hasn\u2019t changed his operation much, and the added bonus he gets for his beef is welcome.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have a lot of friends in southern Phillips County where the most resistance is,\u201d Crasco said. \u201cI was only hearing their side of it, and then I got to see what APR was trying to do. The big misunderstanding is everyone thinks they are coming in and doing this radical takeover, but it is a willing buyer and a willing seller, so I don\u2019t see what the problem is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Montana Audubon\u2019s Hoffman says that the potential bird conservation benefits are worth the local backlash.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAPR is supporting the local tax base and they only buy from willing sellers,\u201d he says. \u201cThe project will benefit bison, Burrowing Owls, Mountain Plovers, sage-grouse.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But getting buy-in from all involved is often the hardest part of conservation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnytime you have an entity buying up land, you are going to have controversy,\u201d Hoffman says.<br \/>\n<!--http:\/\/digital.livingbird.org\/livingbird\/summer_2016?pg=52#pg52--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The American Prairie Reserve north of the Missouri River Breaks in eastern Montana is a Burrowing Owl\u2019s paradise, a vision of the American West where sweeping grasslands roll toward a<a class=\"excerpt-read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/recreating-a-home-where-buffalo-can-roam-and-burrowing-owls-too\/\" title=\"ReadRecreating a Home Where Buffalo Can Roam (and Burrowing Owls, Too)\">&#8230; Read more &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":25919,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_tec_requires_first_save":true,"_birdpress_living_bird_toc":0,"_birdpress_living_bird_toc_title":"","_birdpress_featured_image":false,"_birdpress_hero_toggle":false,"_birdpress_hero_type":"image","_birdpress_hero_image_type":"image","_birdpress_hero_style":"default","_birdpress_hero_ratio":"","_birdpress_hero_h1":"","_birdpress_hero_media_id":0,"_birdpress_hero_media_array_id":[],"_birdpress_hero_media_array":[],"_birdpress_hero_media":0,"_birdpress_hero_video_id":0,"_birdpress_hero_video":0,"_birdpress_hero_youtube":"","_birdpress_hero_content":true,"_birdpress_hero_byline":"","_birdpress_hero_byline_bottom":"","_birdpress_hero_button_link":"","_birdpress_hero_button_text":"","_birdpress_hero_button_color":"","_birdpress_hero_date":false,"original_guid":"","_birdpress_hide_search":false,"_birdpress_page_width":"","_birdpress_global_cta":false,"_birdpress_widget_sidebar":"","_birdpress_next_article":0,"_birdpress_next_article_title":"","_birdpress_prev_article":0,"_birdpress_prev_article_title":"","_birdpress_sub_navigation_id":0,"_birdpress_sub_navigation":"","_birdpress_sub_navigation_title":false,"_birdpress_anchor_navigation_id":0,"_birdpress_anchor_navigation":"","_birdpress_postType":"both","_birdpress_categoryID":0,"_birdpress_tagID":0,"_birdpress_parentPostID":0,"_birdpress_parentPostTitle":"","_birdpress_menuID":0,"_birdpress_menuName":"","_birdpress_listHeader":"","_birdpress_listLayout":"card-display","_birdpress_listColumns":"","_birdpress_maxItems":12,"_birdpress_listPaginate":true,"_birdpress_displaySort":true,"_birdpress_sortOrder":"DESC","_birdpress_sortBy":"date","_birdpress_listID":"","_birdpress_listClass":"","_birdpress_displayImages":true,"_birdpress_displayCaptions":false,"_birdpress_displayExcerpts":false,"_birdpress_attTop":"","_birdpress_attBottom":"","_birdpress_showLogos":false,"_birdpress_post_logo":0,"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_topic":0,"wds_primary_content-format":0,"wds_primary_cornell-lab-project":0,"wds_primary_host-project":0,"wds_primary_read-more-tag":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"topic":[998,1043],"content-format":[1055],"cornell-lab-project":[1069],"host-project":[1137],"read-more-tag":[],"class_list":["post-25914","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","topic-news-and-features","topic-science-conservation-news-and-features","content-format-article","cornell-lab-project-living-bird-magazine","host-project-living-bird"],"metadata":{"associated-posts":[""],"_edit_lock":["1483742646:4"],"_edit_last":["4"],"_thumbnail_id":["25919"],"wdsi_message_id":[""],"wdsi_do_not_show":[""],"_wds_meta-robots-adv":[",,,"],"wpa_off":[null],"custom-byline":["<h5>By Ben Pierce<\/h5>\r\n<h6>From the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/living-bird-summer-2016-table-of-contents\/\">Summer 2016<\/a>\u00a0issue of <a href=\"https:\/\/join.birds.cornell.edu\/ea-action\/action?ea.client.id=1806&amp;ea.campaign.id=24577\">Living Bird<\/a> magazine.<\/h6>\r\n<small><em>Burrowing Owl by <a href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/EnNqsG\">Ray Hennessy<\/a> via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/groups\/birdshare\/\">Birdshare<\/a>.<\/em><\/small>"],"banner-video":[""],"banner-image":["https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Banner-APR-BOwl-Hennessy.jpg"],"fallback-videobanner-image":[""],"original_guid":[""],"banner-text-style":["light"],"banner-style":["default"],"featured-image-display":["no"],"_birdpress_next_article":[""],"_birdpress_prev_article":[""],"_webdados_fb_open_graph_specific_image":[""]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25914","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25914"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25914\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25919"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25914"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25914"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25914"},{"taxonomy":"topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topic?post=25914"},{"taxonomy":"content-format","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content-format?post=25914"},{"taxonomy":"cornell-lab-project","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cornell-lab-project?post=25914"},{"taxonomy":"host-project","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/host-project?post=25914"},{"taxonomy":"read-more-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/read-more-tag?post=25914"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}