Cape Coral's Signature Species'

Birding in southwest Florida in the late April and early May must include an effort to observe Cape Coral's Burrowing Owls and Florida Scrub-Jays.

The Burrowing Owl owlet above (image 1) was photographed in Cape Coral in May 2015.

Burrowing Owlets are easily seen at this time of year with the time of their hatching dependent in part on the weather (sometimes later due to flooding of the tunnels). The mating of the adults can be observed with greater effort in late March and early April.

The Burrowing Owl owlet above (image 2) was photographed in Cape Coral in May 2015.

The Burrowing Owl owlet above (image 3) was photographed in Cape Coral in May 2015.

The Cooper's Hawk above (image 4) was photographed in Cape Coral in May 2015.

The Cooper's Hawk above (image 5) was photographed in Cape Coral in May 2015.

The Burrowing Owl above (image 6) was photographed in Cape Coral in May 2015.

This presentation was made possible by a visit to Cape Coral on 5 May. I opted for another morning visit as thunderstorms have begun forming early this year and typically form in the late afternoon.

The Burrowing Owl above (image 7) was photographed in Cape Coral in May 2015.

The Burrowing Owl above (image 8) was photographed in Cape Coral in May 2015.

The Burrowing Owl above (image 9) was photographed in Cape Coral in May 2015.

The Burrowing Owl above (image 10) was photographed in Cape Coral in May 2015.

The Burrowing Owl above (image 11) was photographed in Cape Coral in May 2015.

While observing the Burrowing Owls, a Cooper's Hawk made a couple of flybys that caught the attention of all the other birds in the area. A flock of Monk Parakeets also made an appearance with their presence heard first.

The Burrowing Owl owlet above (image 12) was photographed in Cape Coral in May 2015.

The Burrowing Owl with owlet above (image 13) was photographed in Cape Coral in May 2015.

The Burrowing Owl with owlet above (image 14) was photographed in Cape Coral in May 2015.

The Burrowing Owl owlet above (image 15) was photographed in Cape Coral in May 2015.

The Burrowing Owl owlet above (image 16) was photographed in Cape Coral in May 2015.

I could not resist a long overdue return to Festival Park where I was confident I would observe Florida Scrub-Jays. A Bald Eagle was observed flying toward the northeast. A lone Burrowing Owl was also observed at the park.

The Burrowing Owl above (image 17) was photographed in Cape Coral in May 2015.

The Florida Scrub-Jay above (image 18) was photographed in Cape Coral in May 2015.

While the Burrowing Owl and Florida Scrub-Jay can be seen elsewhere in Florida, Cape Coral is a superb location to readily find both species.

The Florida Scrub-Jay above (image 19) was photographed in Cape Coral in May 2015.

The Florida Scrub-Jay above (image 20) was photographed in Cape Coral in May 2015.

Cape Coral Burrowing Owlets Growing Fast

A week after my first observation of a Burrowing Owl owlet, a follow-up visit to the same "nest" in Cape Coral offered an opportunity to learn more about the behavior of this species after years of observation.

The Burrowing Owl above (image 1) was photographed in Cape Coral in May 2015.

The Cooper's Hawk above (image 2) was photographed in Cape Coral in May 2015.

The Burrowing Owl above (image 3) was photographed in Cape Coral in May 2015.

Minutes after I had established my observation point which was a view toward the west with the sun rising behind me, a much larger than expected owlet made its appearance. Although there was no action on the part of the adult bird, the owlet made a retreat back into the burrow.

The Burrowing Owl above (image 4) was photographed in Cape Coral in May 2015.

The Burrowing Owl above (image 5) was photographed in Cape Coral in May 2015.

The Burrowing Owl above (image 6) was photographed in Cape Coral in May 2015.

Burrowing Owls are extremely charismatic beasts which are a delight to observe. Minutes after the young owl returned underground one of the parent owls spoke in a subtle comparison to Audubon's "chatter call" alarm #1 as the Burrowing Owl watched a Cooper's Hawk fly from the south into its territory.

The Burrowing Owl above (image 7) was photographed in Cape Coral in May 2015.

The Burrowing Owl above (image 8) was photographed in Cape Coral in May 2015.

The Burrowing Owl above (image 9) was photographed in Cape Coral in May 2015.

The hawk was not identified until after making a closer observation of a clump of trees where the bird had flown as it was trailed by a pursuant believed to be a Northern Mockingbird. A short while later, the COHA was driven to the west and then north by four Common Grackle and a mocker.

The Burrowing Owl above (image 10) was photographed in Cape Coral in May 2015.

The Burrowing Owl above (image 11) was photographed in Cape Coral in May 2015.

The Fish Crow above (image 12) was photographed in Cape Coral in May 2015.

A mere 30 plus minutes after the first owlet was observed earlier in the morning, possibly the same owlet exited the burrow. Seconds after that, four more smaller owlets trailed behind it under the supervision of the parents.

The Burrowing Owl above (image 13) was photographed in Cape Coral in May 2015.

The Burrowing Owl with owlets above (image 14) was photographed in Cape Coral in May 2015.

The Burrowing Owl with owlets above (image 15) was photographed in Cape Coral in May 2015.

It perhaps required the presence of the second adult for all the owlets to overcome their trepidation to explore. The second adult was not at the burrow when I arrived and am unsure as to exactly where it came from as it was not seen at any of the surrounding burrows.

The Burrowing Owlet above (image 16) was photographed in Cape Coral in May 2015.

All of the owls appeared to be very healthy and alert.

The Burrowing Owlet above (image 17) was photographed in Cape Coral in May 2015.

Florida Burrowing Owls: Cape Coral

Florida's Burrowing Owls are found throughout the Sunshine state, but their distribution with a preference for a specialized habitat makes observation challenging and unreliable.

The Burrowing Owl above (image 1) was photographed in Cape Coral in April 2015.

The best views I know of for observation of Burrowing Owl are in many rural areas of Cape Coral which is found between Tampa and Marco Island on Florida's Gulf Coast. With Marco Island another reliable location to observe the species, other areas prove much less productive.

The Burrowing Owl above (image 2) was photographed in Cape Coral in April 2015.

The Burrowing Owl above (image 3) was photographed in Cape Coral in April 2015.

The Burrowing Owl above (image 4) was photographed in Cape Coral in April 2015.

The Burrowing Owl above (image 5) was photographed in Cape Coral in April 2015.

If you're in Florida with an interest to photograph Burrowing Owls, you are strongly encouraged to make your effort in Cape Coral foremost with other local venues like Bunche Beach Preserve, Little Estero Lagoon, and Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary strongly recommended venues for additional highly rewarding wildlife observation.

The Burrowing Owl with owlet above (image 6) was photographed in Cape Coral in April 2015.

The Burrowing Owl above (image 7) was photographed in Cape Coral in April 2015.

The Burrowing Owl above (image 8) was photographed in Cape Coral in April 2015.

The Burrowing Owl above (image 9) was photographed in Cape Coral in April 2015.

For this article, while traveling to Festival Park for a long overdue visit where Burrowing Owls have been observed before, I made a detour through another well known Burrowing Owl "neighborhood" making the trip to Festival Park unnecessary with owls found much further south by miles.

The Burrowing Owl above (image 10) was photographed in Cape Coral in April 2015.

The Burrowing Owl above (image 11) was photographed in Cape Coral in April 2015.

The Burrowing Owl above (image 12) was photographed in Cape Coral in April 2015.

The Burrowing Owl above (image 13) was photographed in Cape Coral in April 2015.

Observation of the owls on 26 April were expected to include at least a sighting of owlets as the Burrowing Owls seen last year had juveniles nearly the size of the adults in late May.

The Burrowing Owl above (image 14) was photographed in Cape Coral in April 2015.

The Burrowing Owl above (image 15) was photographed in Cape Coral in April 2015.

The Burrowing Owl above (image 16) was photographed in Cape Coral in April 2015.

The Boat-tailed Grackle above (image 17) was photographed in Cape Coral in April 2015.

Sure enough, within 75 minutes of observation of the owls at a favorite burrow, I caught a glimpse of an owlet very well tended by its parents that I would guesstimate less than a week of age. There were likely more owlets in the burrow. I will report further on this family if possible.

The Boat-tailed Grackle above (image 18) was photographed in Cape Coral in April 2015.

The Boat-tailed Grackle above (image 19) was photographed in Cape Coral in April 2015.

The Burrowing Owl above (image 20) was photographed in Cape Coral in April 2015.

The Burrowing Owl above (image 21) was photographed in Cape Coral in April 2015.

One of the most memorable observations at this nest site was the time when what appeared a marauding group of Boat-tailed Grackle approached the burrow as they were foraging. A reaction on the part of one of the Burrowing Owl parents was to drop from its perch to defend the burrow.

The Burrowing Owl above (image 22) was photographed in Cape Coral in April 2015.

The Burrowing Owl above (image 23) was photographed in Cape Coral in April 2015.

The Loggerhead Shrike above (image 24) was photographed in Cape Coral in April 2015.

The Burrowing Owl above (image 25) was photographed in Cape Coral in April 2015.

The images presented in this first 2015 chapter regrettably lack most of the action seen. I was simply mesmerized.

The Burrowing Owl above (image 26) was photographed in Cape Coral in April 2015.