Audubon Finish By A Nose

The 2nd Annual 2010 Audubon Magazine "Birds in Focus" photo contest came to a close this week with it to be featured in its Jan/Feb 2011 issue.

The Burrowing Owl image submitted to Audubon above was photographed near Cape Coral Library in 2010.

While the contest has allowed up to ten images to be submitted this year, I was only able to get six entered for consideration by the deadline.

Unlike last year, Audubon allowed a single image to be submitted this year without paying an entry fee.

The Burrowing Owl image submitted to Audubon above was photographed near Cape Coral Library in 2010.

This year's contest allowed me to have a better understanding of the importance of ensuring easy identification of image files by describing and dating them.

I had attempted to salvage a sluggish computer seemingly overburdened with images (hard drive at 97 percent capacity) by transferring the files to external hard drives while not considering an easy way to identify what the photo files represented.

The Burrowing Owl image submitted to Audubon above was photographed near Cape Coral Library in 2010.

I recall Bob Duckwall advising me that he was reading a book on the subject of how to easily identify stored images quite some time ago.

My primary purpose in entering the Audubon contest the last couple of years has been to offer enlightenment and amusement of the natural wildlife beauty that can readily be seen for the most part in southwest Florida.

The Burrowing Owl image submitted to Audubon above was photographed near Cape Coral Library in 2010.

With the discovery of Burrowing Owl in February 2010, which at the time was a goal merely to document the species as seen in Florida, the experience led to the lion's share of my time devoted to wildlife observation in the early part of the year.

The first encounter made 26 February 2010 led to observation of a mating event that evening mere minutes after sunset.

The Burrowing Owl image submitted to Audubon above was photographed near Cape Coral Library in 2010.

With it noted in David Sibley's Guide to Bird Life and Behavior that mating activity of Burrowing Owls is not well documented, 22 additional trips to Cape Coral, Florida, were made as late as 27 June 2010 this season to help improve the record.

Photography of a mating Burring Owl event requires the inordinate time that might be expected to be spent observing any bird species in the creation of an interesting wildlife image.

The Burrowing Owl image submitted to Audubon above was photographed near Cape Coral Library in 2010.

Such was the case with as many as several hours of observation time devoted to each of seven burrows studied with no guarantee that the owls occupying them would be observed to mate, an event that lasts from five to seven seconds, typically.

Unseasonal late winter/ early spring heavy rains this year were attributed to the delay in the observation of Burrowing Owl fledglings through the flooding of the burrows, but there were many juvenile owls observed on my last visit to Cape Coral as of this writing.

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.

Lights, Camera, Action

The learning curve of capturing video with the Canon 5dmk2, making very basic editing of the video for its duration, and uploading it to the web for viewing was accomplished in the past few weeks.

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

The subject of the video involves the mating behavior of the Florida Burrowing Owl which has been observed with concerted effort at Cape Coral on Florida's west coast about two hours south of Tampa.

Although only having observed the Burrowing Owls for the first time in the 2010 mating season, I have devoted countless hours to learn about the behavior of these birds that occasionally provide an opportunity to document their behavior visually for a mere few seconds at a time.

The Common Moorhen with juvenile and White Ibis above was photographed at Lakes Regional Park in May 2010.

There have been a few instances when the mating event was observed to occur twice with the same pair of birds within 10 minutes.

I haven't devoted an entire day to the observation of the birds uninterrupted, so cannot speculate the average number of times the birds may attempt to copulate in a day.

The Common Moorhen juvenile above was photographed at Lakes Regional Park in May 2010.

Mating behavior certainly occurs daily, however, as I have observed the behavior with numerous pairs of Burrowing Owls in the neighborhood of the Cape Coral Library and Skyline Boulevard.

A visit to the area on 6 May 2010 with hopes of observing owlets as anticipated proved to show that the offspring are relatively late in their arrival this year potentially due to unusually cold winter weather and early heavy rains last month that may have flooded burrows.

The White Ibis above was photographed at Lakes Regional Park in May 2010.

Mating was also not observed yesterday although both male and female owls were seen at the entrance to many burrows in the area.

Mating will typically last for mere seconds which offers great challenges in photographing the event successfully.

The Anhinga above was photographed at Lakes Regional Park in May 2010.

Tim Rucci commented to me this week that there might be disturbance of Burrowing Owl behavior with the use of flash photography.

The owls have not appeared to be affected by the accessory at all.

The Scarlet Ibis above was photographed at Lakes Regional Park in May 2010.

My video capture of a typical mating of the owls can be seen here and is also now a permanent link from the sidebar at my blog.

It is interesting that certain owls will apparently only mate after sunset, yet others will do so in late afternoon hours, perhaps distinguishing the maturity of the owls.

The White Ibis above was photographed at Lakes Regional Park in May 2010.

I have noted most recently that the male is much more distinguishable from the female as coloration in his feathers is evidently bleached from the sun that has become ever stronger as each spring day passes.

In addition to observing the owls this past week, I also made another trip to Lakes Regional Park to attempt to observe the Scarlet Ibis which I was able to do and photograph the species for the first time.

The Common Moorhen juvenile above was photographed at Lakes Regional Park in May 2010.

I also observed the juvenile Common Moorhen that was surprisingly absent from the exact same location the day before.

Three Weeks and Counting Down

Although Sibley's Guide to Bird Life and Behavior fails to note the incubation period for Burrowing Owl eggs specifically, the guide and my most recent observations seem to indicate that there may be fledglings at the burrows within a few weeks.

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

Sibley notes smaller owls to have the shorter incubation period while the largest owls have incubation periods of up to five weeks.

I was able to make four trips to Cape Coral to observe the Burrowing Owl since my last post and also made a trip to Harns Marsh Preserve in Lehigh Acres.

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

My speculation of the timing for the hatching of the owls is based on what appears to be strong evidence.

Every single burrow observed along a residential street parallel to Skyline Boulevard south of the Cape Coral Library had a sole owl at the entrance to the burrow on the evening of 8 April 2010.

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

Just days before, in most cases, both owls were observed at the burrows so there's the possibility that the females have most recently been in the burrows laying and incubating eggs.

My research of the Burrowing Owl has led to the understanding that owls will typically lay one egg every day or two in favorable conditions of food availability (thus far I have only observed food consumption on two occasions) and lay up to five eggs.

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

I've found the Burrowing Owl sex to be extremely difficult to distinguish as the bird's appearance is so similar.

There was a pair of owls I observed on Wednesday at the Cape Coral Library where one of the bird's breast was significantly whiter than the other.

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

The birds mated and, with a close look at the photographs taken, I will be able to determine which of the two was making enhancements to the burrow by digging at its entrance which I observed for the first time.

I am quite confidant to note in my study of the Burrowing Owl that the male stays at the entrance of the burrow while the female will sometimes leave it briefly prior to sunset.

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

Under such occasions where the female leaves the burrow entrance, she most often returns at the bequest of the male with his call where mating has often been observed immediately thereafter.

There is a burrow south of the Cape Coral Library that still does not have the PVC pipe installed to indicate its presence.

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

While I considered immediately reporting the burrow and its owl activity when found, I am glad now in hindsight that I had not.

A story has been told to me by my work acquaintance Stephanie Sikora that Burrowing Owls that were active at a Publix Super Market on Cape Coral Boulevard abandoned the burrow when protective measures were put in place.

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

Although I've spent quite a few hours observing the owls at this particular burrow south of the library, I have not observed them to mate which I cannot explain more than unusual.

There were several mating events again observed in lighting conditions too dark to photograph.

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

This past week also offered me the opportunity to photograph the Swallow-tailed Kite for the first time at Harns Marsh Preserve.

While I had observed the kite in the area of the Southwest Florida International Airport on several occasions late last fall and most recently this past week as well, I didn't have my camera with me.

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

There were numerous waterfowl at close range at Harns Marsh Preserve including several species.

A highlight in their sighting was the Common Moorhen which involved a chase as I've observed once before at Green Cay Wetlands and Nature Center near Delray Beach.

The Common Moorhen above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in April 2010.

Although I didn't see the Snail Kite at Harns Marsh on this week's visit, it was reported to have been observed that morning by a fellow visitor and world travel I met named Hemant Kishan.

I also met other interesting people including the mother (recovering from a broken ankle yet insisting on walking a great distance at Harns Marsh Preserve) of the Chairman of the Wildlife, Ecology and Conservation department, John P. Hayes, at the University of Florida.

The wildlife enthusiasts above were photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in April 2010.

I encountered Cheryl, Gloria and Wes as well visiting from Venice, Florida, where I was told of some extraordinary bird activity and recovery around the Venice Rookery.

Linda from Michigan was also a pleasure to speak with as she told me of a seasonal wildlife photographer that has studied the Scarlet Ibis with great success and most recently reported to have been observed at Little Estero Island Lagoon.

The wildlife enthusiasts above were photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in April 2010.

Certainly off the subject of wildlife though in fitting with the title of this blog entry, I want to note that I witnessed the launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery on the morning of 5 April 2010 from Fort Myers.

It was quite extraordinary as the light from the shuttle's engines was comparable to the brightest anti-collision lights of large commercial aircraft flying overhead at night toward the above mentioned airport.

The Swallow-tailed Kite above was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in April 2010.

Although I didn't photograph this event, it will always be a fond memory, and may be seen as witnessed in close proximity to Cape Canaveral by pbaser and blogger Tim Rucci.

Pomp and Circumstance

The highlight of the opportunity to observe the birds around the area of southwest Florida this past week was plain and simply a mouthful of insects.

The Boat-tailed Grackle above was photographed near Cape Coral Library in April 2010.

The Burrowing Owls I've been observing are seemingly tolerant of all action around them.

A shot of the owl with an insect again was a failed effort with a 50/50 chance of focusing on the right bird and I lost.

The advertisement above was photographed near Cape Coral Library in April 2010.

The observation of Cape Coral mating owl events this past month have been extraordinary.

On a visit to the area around the library before today, I was very surprised to see what I thought was a residential neighbor making pitch shots at a Burrowing Owl nest.

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

The golf ball found was evidently too far away for that concern though he is certainly a decent golfer.

Mating of the owls continues to be a highlight of my observations, though I haven't been able to capture the event as well as I think it could be.

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

The cold weather this past winter has apparently allowed for the birds to be active in this regard this year so late in the season.

I'm beginning to see what I believe are signs that there are fledglings on the way.

The neighbors of the owls above were photographed at Cape Coral Library in April 2010.

These include a more protective and absence of activity at certain burrows.

It was my great fortune to meet Le from Vietnam pictured at right who told me of the owls I would photograph at her recommendation (two, not three).

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.