Chronicles

Summer is usually not the best time for wildlife photography in Florida. The hot and humid weather is a pretty good deterrent to getting out. Summer is our rainy season which means dodging thunderstorms and the added moisture wakes up the bugs, especially mosquitoes! Despite the many reasons to stay inside, there are some unique photo opportunities. Summer is the season for new families.

Two species that are unique to this region are swallow-tailed kites and burrowing owls. I’ve written about both of these beautiful birds in the past. The kites migrate all the way from South America in the spring to build their nests and raise their young. Then in July, they begin to congregate to prepare for their return journey. During this period they will often roost in larger and larger numbers in cypress trees along areas of water. When it begins to get light in the morning, they will start preening their feathers in preparation for another day in the air.

Swallow-tailed Kite Looking Back While Preening

On the morning we visited, we were only able to find 2 kites despite reports of several in the area. It’s possible the larger group roosted in a different area around the marsh. We waited hoping we would see them begin to take to the skies but it was a calm morning which can delay the breezes and developing thermals they need for liftoff. There seem to be more reports of kite sightings this year which is great news. They are amazing birds that glide through the air with graceful agility and it’s a blessing to see them.

Swallow-tailed Kite Looking Back While Perched on the End of a Branch

The area where the swallow-tailed kites have been staying is also a destination spot for snail kites. Even though the waters were very high making the snails harder for the birds to find, we were fortunate to see a few of the threatened species.

Female Snail Kite Resting on the Top of Some Reeds

After hanging around the marsh for a couple of hours, we headed over to Cape Coral for some action with the burrowing owls. The young owls are fully grown and learning how to hunt. They are curious and very approachable. There appeared to be more juveniles this year than past years.

Young Burrowing Owl Looking Down From a Tree

The owls were very active until mid to late morning. Once the temperature hit 90F, everything slowed down and most of the owls headed for the cooler burrows.