Burrowing Owl Study And A Visit To Little Estero Lagoon

25 months since my first observation of the sub species of Burrowing Owl found in Florida had passed when I made the species a primary subject of interest this week.


The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at Festival Park in March 2012.


I returned to Festival Park in Cape Coral for two late afternoon visits with hopes of continuing my study of the Florida Burrowing Owl. This species finds disturbed ground on both Florida coasts accommodating in the construction of their tunnels used to perpetuate the species. My first visit this week was timed to hopefully see mating activity that was last observed February 24th. Shame on me for allowing so much time to pass since finding this opportunity. The result has been to find the mating activity apparently over. I observed on the first visit this week to find what I believe to be the male owl outside of the burrow to call to its mate a few minutes after sunset while the bird in the burrow appeared within seconds. The owl from its hidden domicile spent many minutes preening itself, especially its belly which led me to believe that it had been resting on eggs. Both visits to the park to observe all birds offered an audible observation of what I'm sure was Northern Bobwhite. There was no luck to capture an image of this personally undocumented species. Aside from the time spent with meadowlarks and shrike that are almost always seen at this venue, I again found the Burrowing Owl most entertaining. The second visit to Festival Park this week was interesting as I observed the resident owl outside the burrow glance toward the burrow entrance as the bird's mate emerged. The female exited the burrow about 20 minutes before sunset unexpectedly. The female owl appeared fatigued with its pupils constricted. The bird was above ground for a mere moment when I was able to capture an image of it where the pupil in its eyes was appropriately re-sized in the bright light after its duty in complete darkness. I haven't observed the Great Horned Owl the last few times I have visited this park. To end my wildlife observation for the week I met up with Tom Obrock at Little Estero Lagoon. I had been avoiding this area because of the heavy traffic for the commute this time of year. It was my great fortune to spend the morning with Tom while he pointed out all of the most interesting things at this awesome venue. It was also a treat this week to hear workmate Margie Congregane rave repeatedly about our company's decision to purchase Kodak Easy Share C1530 cameras for our stores. It is tragic that the 131 year old company that invented the digital camera revolution and many other marvels filed for bankruptcy protection earlier this year.


The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at Festival Park in March 2012.


The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at Festival Park in March 2012.


The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at Festival Park in March 2012.


The Eastern Meadowlark above was photographed at Festival Park in March 2012.


The Eastern Meadowlark above was photographed at Festival Park in March 2012.


The Florida Scrub-Jay above was photographed at Festival Park in March 2012.


The Florida Scrub-Jay above was photographed at Festival Park in March 2012.


The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at Festival Park in March 2012.


The immature Bald Eagle above was photographed at Festival Park in March 2012.


The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at Festival Park in March 2012.


The Burrowing Owl regurgitating a pellet above was photographed at Festival Park in March 2012.


The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at Festival Park in March 2012.


The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at Festival Park in March 2012.


The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at Festival Park in March 2012.


The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at Festival Park in March 2012.


The Burrowing Owl above was photographed at Festival Park in March 2012.


The Black-bellied Plover above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2012.


The Semipalmated Plover above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2012.


The Little Blue Heron above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2012.


The Snowy Egret above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2012.


The Snowy Egret above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2012.


The Snowy Egret above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2012.


The Sanderling above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2012.


The Double-crested Cormorant above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2012.


The Double-crested Cormorant above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2012.


The Double-crested Cormorant with Laughing Gull above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2012.


The Wilson's Plover above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2012.


The Palm Warbler above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2012.


The Dunlin above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2012.


The Brown Pelican above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2012.


The Great Egret above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2012.


Tom Obrock above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2012.


The Peregrine Falcon above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2012.


The Tricolored Heron above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in March 2012.

Too Few Birds At Ding Darling NWR

I have often heard negative reports on the quantity of birds observed at the Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, not to mention around the state of Florida.


The Double-crested Cormorant above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2012.


My serious observations of wildlife in Florida merely began in 2007. There are only a handful of occasions out of a few hundred dedicated to observing wildlife where I have been disappointed with the endeavor. This week was not one of those times. Florida should be expected to offer great opportunity for wildlife observation due in part to its climate, water resources, and proximity to migration routes. So what might explain the decline in birds seen by veteran birders? If you have an opinion about this, I would very much like to know what it is. At Ding Darling this week, I thought an accommodating tide would favor countless birds to observe at the Refuge. Shorebirds were abundant, but wading birds were otherwise surprisingly few in numbers. Species observed though not photographed were Mourning Dove, Ground Dove, Osprey, and Mr. Cardinal. I otherwise present here a representation of what was seen as a solitary bird or a species seen exceeding a hundred individuals. I chose to skip the Shell Mound Trail as it was about noon when I passed it. A highlight of the day included the remarkable experience to observe a blast off of shorebirds that I'm sure was caused by a wayward call of a Willet. The Refuge volunteer behind me commented that she looked for an eagle that would have likely caused the event, though the predator wasn't seen. It was equally as rewarding to hear the birds fly onto the scene in large flocks. This must be experienced if you haven't had the pleasure. Wildlife observers in Florida can often see birds appear quite tame. I typically like to keep the greatest distance from them possible when photographing them. A few birds seen this week at Ding were occasionally too close to focus on. I must remember to bring my 2X converter to Ding which I have used on a couple of occasions at STA5 and Harns Marsh Preserve. Nikon has recently announced its 36.3 megapixel D800 camera which would allow for greater distances kept from the wildlife while allowing for a hefty crop of images captured. Canon has apparently decided not to participate in the megapixel war, for now. Another highlight of my trip to DDNWR this week was to observe a pair of Yellow-crowned Night-Heron that I spent a half hour with. The herons exhibited nesting behavior within 15 feet of the drive not surprisingly uncaring of all the visitors to the Refuge that passed. My experience this week was quite different from that made at the Refuge a year ago almost to the day. Press here for my report of Too Many Birds At Ding Darling NWR. In closing, I highly recommend you consider participating in the March 28-31, 2012 Big "O" Birding Festival. A hundred species of bird or more will likely be seen on a given day. Spotting scopes and binoculars have been noted to be popularly used at STA5 during the infrequent tours allowed at this South Central Florida birding mecca.


The Great Egret above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2012.


The Roseate Spoonbill above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2012. Note the importance of sharpening an image when comparing this and the unsharpened image below.


The Roseate Spoonbill above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2012.


The Red-breasted Merganser above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2012.


The American White Pelican above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2012.


The Pied-billed Grebe above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2012.


The Snowy Egret with Roseate Spoonbill, White Ibis and Willet above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2012.


The Black-bellied Plover above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2012.


The Double-crested Cormorant above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2012.


The Double-crested Cormorant above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2012.


The American White Pelican above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2012.


The Willet above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2012.


The Great Blue Heron above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2012.


The Double-crested Cormorant above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2012.


The Red-breasted Merganser above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2012.


The Semipalmated Plover above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2012.


The Willet above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2012.


The Belted Kingfisher above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2012.


The primarily Dunlin above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2012.


The Short-billed Dowitcher with Dunlin and Willet above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2012.


The Dunlin above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2012.


The Dunlin above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2012.


The Short-billed Dowitcher above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2012.


The American White Pelican above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2012.


The Willet above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2012.


The Little Blue Heron with Shot-billed Dowitcher and Dunlin above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2012.


The American White Pelican above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2012.


The Double-crested Cormorant above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2012.


The Reddish Egret above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2012.


The Ring-billed Gull above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2012.


The Tricolored Heron above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2012.


The Little Blue Heron above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2012.


The Reddish Egret above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2012.


The Double-crested Cormorant above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2012.


The Red-breasted Merganser above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2012.


The Yellow-crowned Night-Heron above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2012.


The Yellow-crowned Night-Heron above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2012.


The Yellow-crowned Night-Heron above was photographed at J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in March 2012.