The next time you’re out on the Citrus Club Course, take a glance at the back of hole #3 and you might notice something a little different. The golf course maintenance department is working closely with Bob Shanman, owner of Wild Birds Unlimited in Torrance, CA and Kurt Leuschner, Associate Professor of Natural Resources Applied Science & Business at College of the Desert, has strategically placed the first of four barn owl nesting barns on the Citrus Course.
The owl boxes are part of the overall efforts being made to ‘go green’ on the golf courses of the Citrus Club, the Mountain & Dunes and PGA WEST. The staff has been working with Audubon International and is seeking certification for all nine courses. The Citrus Course is not only the first of the nine courses to complete and receive certification through the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program, but also holds bragging rights as the first course in Coachella Valley to successfully complete certification.
The box is a simple 4-foot by 2-foot construction filled with sawdust and has a small hole facing the clearing for easy entry with limbs above to support any owlettes that would be the result of successful residency. We look forward to any feedback on owl sightings over the next year. Our hope is that the owls which have been seen in the area will decide to take up permanent residency at the Citrus Course, adding to the unique environment that the course has to offer both members and homeowners.
