Springtime in Cape Coral, FL means one thing …. burrowing owls. Nesting season is almost finished and most of the new owls have grown as large as their parents. They can fly and are learning to hunt. The family units are still intact so it’s fun to see several together outside their burrows.
The city of Cape Coral does a great job protecting the owls. They even have a Burrowing Owl Festival. Cape Coral has the largest population of burrowing owls in Florida and many people visit just to see the owls. It’s easy to get within 30 or 40 feet of them for some great photo opportunities. The owls are used to people, so they are tolerant. And photographers are very respectful of these little treasures.
On this day, we saw almost 40 owls, which is a very big number. It was a positive sign that, despite a lot of new construction, the owls seem to still be thriving. The mannerisms of burrowing owls are so different from other owls. Typically, great horned owls, barred owls, and screech owls will sit very still in trees. Their movements are usually slow and smooth. Burrowing owls are like bobbleheads. Their heads are constantly moving as they stay on alert. The most feared predator of burrowing owls is a hawk so you will see them often looking up. It also makes catching a photo of them staring directly at the camera a challenge. Burrowing owls are beautiful little birds that are smaller than a crow. They are only found in Florida east of the Great Plains.
The link below provides more information specific to the Cape Coral owls.
home page – Cape Coral Burrowing Owls
A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.
