Florida Burrowing Owl Progeny

With great enjoyment, I have been studying the Florida Burrowing Owl since my first discovery of it in late February 2010.

The Burrowing Owl above was photographed near Cape Coral Library in May 2010.

My observations have been at Cape Coral Library and the area immediately to its south from the intersections of Mohawk Parkway and Skyline Boulevard.

I have learned that this species of bird is also known as Ground Owl among other names.

The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at Cape Coral Library in May 2010.

Behavior that I have read where the owl (typically male) will fly to heights of 100 feet or more above the ground has never been seen among the dozen or so birds I've been watching.

I suspect that this behavior is more common in the Burrowing Owl species of western North America.

The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at Cape Coral Library in May 2010.

David Sibley has written that there is vagrant overlap of both species along the Atlantic coast.

While there has been the opportunity for me to make nearly 40 hours of close observation thus far, I have only observed the fledglings of the Florida Burrowing Owl for the first time this past week.

The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at Cape Coral Library in May 2010.

The burrow I had first seen owlets at was one I had not studied at all due to the overgrowth of weeds for photography although had seen the presence of the adults there in passing on a few occasions (just north of Cape Coral Parkway).

I have also observed Burrowing Owl fledglings at the burrow I have photographed mating activity numerous times in the past few months.

The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at Cape Coral Library in May 2010.

I took the opportunity to make a video with the 5dm2 of the fledglings as they made their way from a burrow when an adult gave the "all clear" signal at the burrow appropriate for the occasion.

The camera was set up to offer some interesting action where the adult fed the first out of the burrow an ant and apparently was teaching burrowing behavior to its young.

The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at Cape Coral Library in May 2010.

When I had approached within 100 feet of the burrow, the fledglings made a beeline for safety and later returned to the car and drove by at much closer range with all five of the fledglings back in the open.

On an earlier visit to the area for owl study it was interesting to watch a pair of owls at another burrow that seemed to be somewhat behind in their next generation though I observed the interesting behavior of one owl preening the other.

The Burrowing Owl with Halloween Pennant above was photographed at Cape Coral Library in May 2010.

A Halloween Pennant was a surprise to be presented from one mate to another.

The food items favored by the Burrowing Owl observed thus far have included ants (taken at the entrance to the burrow), a grasshopper, Halloween Pennant, and a worm.

The owls are also known to favor rodents so a small rabbit seen in the area is not given much chance of survival.

This species is very reliable for study if you have the chance to visit.

Cape Coral Owls In Love

The community of Cape Coral, Florida, certainly must pride itself in its very likely booming population of Burrowing Owls.

The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at Cape Coral Library in March 2010.

This writing is made one month after my first observation of the species having made in this time ten trips to the area around the Cape Coral Library in search of this very interesting bird.

David Sibley has written that the Burrowing Owl is the only small owl of ten species he's observed and documented in North America likely to be seen readily in daylight.

The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at Cape Coral Library in March 2010.

The intent of my documentation of this species is for the sheer enjoyment of observing the birds and documenting and understanding their behavior through photography.

Upon my first encounter with this species in the late afternoon, I continued to observe the nest until nearly pitch dark.

The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at Cape Coral Library in March 2010.

It was my great luck in doing that as I observed the owls I was watching mate after sunset.

In all succeeding visits to study the owls thus far, mating has been observed at each burrow nest on every occasion after sunset.

The Burrowing Owl above was photographed near Cape Coral Library in March 2010.

I had initially thought that the mating event occurred only at this time, but have been able to document this behavior shortly before sunset.

All of my observations have been made in the late afternoon and later where I cannot say whether mating occurs in the morning hours or at any other time of day or night.

The Burrowing Owl above was photographed near Cape Coral Library in March 2010.

Typically and predictably, mating of the Burrowing Owl has been observed within 30 minutes after sunset.

This has allowed just enough light on some occasions to photograph the event without flash.

The Burrowing Owl above was photographed near Cape Coral Library in March 2010.

Of course under such circumstances, even with a camera setting for low light conditions, the result is a need for a slow shutter speed leading to a blurred effect.

With the use of flash photography I have been able to capture the birds in the act with a better appreciation for behavioral aspects like the touching of beaks.

The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at Cape Coral Library in March 2010.

The owls will typically be seen together at the entrance to the burrow this time of year.

This leads me to believe that there have been no eggs laid yet, at least of the owls I've been watching.

The Burrowing Owl above was photographed near Cape Coral Library in March 2010.

On my last visit to the Cape Coral Library, I didn't make a drive by the nest where I'd first seen the Burrowing Owl.

The original pair were not there the last few times I attempted to see them which might indicate that mating had successfully occurred.

The Burrowing Owl above was photographed near Cape Coral Library in March 2010.

I'm also considering that these particular owls abandoned the nest for another in the large expanse to the north of the library.

The latter could easily be explained by kids that are on the move in the area.

The Burrowing Owl above was photographed near Cape Coral Library in March 2010.

One particular event which required much patience and preparation in setting up the camera for a favorable view and documentation was met with failure as the camera didn't fire when needed.

The owls directly above were observed to mate again nearly exactly 35 minutes later when there was no natural light left for photography.

The Burrowing Owl above was photographed near Cape Coral Library in March 2010.

The second mating event nonetheless went on without fail, hopefully successfully for the next generation of Florida Burrowing Owl.

The two mating events unable to be photographed due to low light conditions will hopefully be the last.

The scene above was photographed at Cape Coral Library in March 2010.

There simply has to be better anticipation of the event with greater control and understanding of the photo gear.

The photo gear seen above, north of the Cape Coral Library, belongs to Marcus Sonntag visiting the area from Germany.

The Burrowing Owl above was photographed near Cape Coral Library in March 2010.

The owls are missing in the shot as they were at another burrow commanded by them just to the west and seemed to have control of all the burrows on the significant parcel of land with no other owls immediately present.

I was very surprised that Marcus chose not to wait ten minutes after I last saw him to photograph the Burrowing Owl mating event at my recommendation.

The Burrowing Owl above was photographed near Cape Coral Library in March 2010.

The owls will almost always, as I recall, "talk" to each other within minutes of the male being allowed to mount the female.

I had been told by pedestrians at a burrow I was observing in late March that a nest in the vicinity of the Cape Coral Library can be found literally only a few feet from the road.

The Burrowing Owl above was photographed near Cape Coral Library in March 2010.

In my attempt to see it on my last visit led me to get lost briefly as I took too early a turn off of Skyline Boulevard which wasn't a disappointment as I was able to observe owls at other places I would possibly never have otherwise.

I think I ultimately found the nest that was recommended, although there weren't owls at the entrance to the burrow.

The Burrowing Owl above was photographed near Cape Coral Library in March 2010.

This nest was recommended of Burrowing Owls that had produced five fledglings last year and perhaps these birds had successfully mated and were simply in the burrow.

Continued observation and travels around the area will be helpful in further understanding.

The Burrowing Owl above was photographed near Cape Coral Library in March 2010.

Another comment I heard from a pedestrian was that the owls will utilize domestic animal poop at their burrow entrances.

If true, it would certainly be for deterrence of predatory behavior against the fledglings in the late spring through summer months before the young are expected to fend for themselves.

The Burrowing Owl above was photographed near Cape Coral Library in March 2010.

The mating of the Burrowing Owl is a very brief event as with all other bird species I've observed.

With your good fortune, you'll hopefully consider participating in observation of the event in the future.

When You Least Expect It

In my recent travels to Cape Coral, Florida, making an effort to observe and document the Burrowing Owl, I found a few surprises.

The Osprey above was photographed near Cape Coral Library in March 2010.

I have to admit that I found myself getting lost on the roads of Cape Coral even though the majority of them traverse the city east/west and north/south.

My GPS device was useful on one occasion after I thought I had completely lost my bearings which I'll blame on the bridges from the mainland.

The Burrowing Owl above was photographed near Cape Coral Library in March 2010.

Earlier than that, however, I was seemingly going to run out of daylight as I traveled west on a highway (for the second time that afternoon) that offered in a few minutes time the sighting of two bird species I had not seen before in my near three years of Florida birding.

Flyovers of birds of many different species while driving can be expected to occur regularly in such an accommodating climate as southwest Florida.

The budding wildife enthusiasts above were photographed near Cape Coral Library in March 2010.

The rarer extraordinary event is when you have a bird such as a Wood Stork pace you at eye level along your route as experienced during a trip to Bunche Beach Preserve traveling south on Summerlin Road last month.

A Cape Coral experience was especially interesting as a bird I saw heading south and very low to the ground seemed to be in distress.

Frank above was photographed near Cape Coral Library in March 2010.

I made the earliest u-turn to get a closer look at what I thought was surely a hawk then clearly seen in an undeveloped parcel of property.

I wasn't able to identify the hawk as Cooper's nor the prey at its feet which was a Eurasian Collared Dove until I hit the books back at home.

The Burrowing Owl above was photographed near Cape Coral Library in March 2010.

This was an extraordinary experience to say the least.

That sighting is put in perspective somewhat as I think of the many hours I've spent observing the Burrowing Owl in which time I've seen in relative seconds the mating of the birds or even more uncommon their feeding behavior.

The Cooper's Hawk above was photographed near Cape Coral Library in March 2010.

An unusual late winter storm attributed to El Niño dumped a large amount of rain on the area these past couple of days which may prove beneficial to the owls with insect and other photographic opportunity across much of the state.

I would certainly like to have the opportunity to re-shoot the owls with them hunting for food with prey in focus beyond mice considered to be a staple in their diet.

The Cooper's Hawk with Eurasian Collared Dove above was photographed near Cape Coral Library in March 2010.

On my most recent trip to see the owls at and near the Cape Coral Library, I was very surprised to see fellow wildlife photographer Frank, visiting from Montréal, who I've seen for the third time at different venues in the area coincidentally.

With extreme optimism I hope to see my friend Tim Rucci later next week as he makes his way across Florida for some wildlife documentation with his friend Ken Conger.

Feature: Florida Burrowing Owl

On the eve of the 8th annual Burrowing Owl Festival in Cape Coral, Florida, I made my fifth attempt to observe and document the sub-species of Burrowing Owl that is thought to have in excess of 2500 nests in the city.

The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at the Cape Coral Library in February 2010.

I can't imagine a more fortuitous time to finally see the species and spend more than two hours observing its nest and what I would describe as an early riser (in the late afternoon).

All previous visits to Cape Coral with the hope to see the Burrowing Owl were met with failure.

The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at the Cape Coral Library in February 2010.

I had earlier considered stopping by Brian Piccolo Park, in Cooper City, Florida, while traveling through the Great Florida Birding Trail's Night-Heron Cluster to otherwise see the park's reliable nests and sightings of the owls.

Tim Rucci's sighting of the Burrowing Owl at Piccolo Park can be
seen here.

The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at the Cape Coral Library in February 2010.

Time constraints led to my postponing my attempted sighting of the owls on Florida's east coast with greater hopes of seeing the species closer to home on Cape Coral within the official nesting season which occurs 15 February through 10 July.

This species I would highly recommend you seek out when you have the chance as they are so photogenic or are simply fun to watch.

The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at the Cape Coral Library in February 2010.

The Burrowing Owl is very prevalent in Imperial Valley which is home to about 70 percent of California’s Burrowing Owl population.

When I encountered the owl that I considered much more diminutive than I had expected, I made an immediate planting of my presence to it.

The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at the Cape Coral Library in February 2010.

More than 90 minutes had passed before the mate of the bird I was observing emerged from the nest.

The bird first observed I consider to be the male based on my research of it for a couple of reasons.

The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at the Cape Coral Library in February 2010.

It is thought that the male spends more of its time outside of the nest and thus has a more "bleached" color to its feathers compared to the female otherwise very similar in appearance.

The female is slightly larger in size and therefore best distinguished when observing the mates together.

The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at the Cape Coral Library in February 2010.

I am quite sure that my first Burrowing Owl observed was the male as it was certainly smaller than the other that finally made its way out of the nest at sunset.

The action around the setting of the sun became a lot more exciting.

The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at the Cape Coral Library in February 2010.

Both feeding and copulation behavior were observed.

Although the nest observed is on a relatively lightly traveled side street adjacent to the library, the birds seemed to be alert to on occasional car passing or the bark of a dog.

The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at the Cape Coral Library in February 2010.

What I found even more interesting was that the birds seem to have extraordinary eyesight in their alertness to see what was flying overhead.

I was not able to react to the birds as quickly as I would have liked to capture some of the more entertaining postures of the creatures.

The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at the Cape Coral Library in February 2010.

As the light diminished and then seemed to disappear, the birds became the most active, and I'm quite sure I observed the birds mating if only so briefly for a few seconds.

It was near darkness when this activity occurred, so I was relying more on the camera to see than myself.

The Moon above was photographed at the Cape Coral Library in February 2010.

The shutter speeds were not very reliable for a focused shot in the end.

My preparation for this event included the reading of world renowned photographer Artie Morris's The Art of Bird Photography, where I was able to set the camera lens to its best performance capability.

The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at the Cape Coral Library in February 2010.

I knew I would have to leave the nest site at some time, but stayed until the lens would no longer focus on the action.

That was really late again, nearly 30 minutes after sunset, when I attempted to capture my last shots to present to you.