Burrowing owls can be found throughout Florida, but they developed a particular affinity for Cape Coral in the 1950s, drawn by the open, flat land. Photo from dedication ceremony at Pascha's Preserve. The event is organized by the Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife, a volunteer group dedicated to preserving and enhancing the habitats of protected wildlife species including burrowing owls and educating people about the citys wildlife. Web. The land will continue to be home to generations of burrowing owls and gopher tortoises who will live in peace forever. Appendix C. Habitat Maintenance and Posting. Make sure you check for burrows before dumping debris.". The town even holds an annual Burrowing Owl Festival. When theyre disturbed, young burrowing owls make a harsh buzz that sounds very much like the rattle of a snake. http://ccfriendsofwildlife.org/2019-burrowing-owl-festival/. . Cape Coral is proud of its burrowing owl population with a Burrowing Owl Festival every year at the Rotary Park. For birders, the hot sun during mid-day is also the least desirable time to see the owls. I also have a YouTube channel. For bird photography, I use Nikons D500 cropped sensor camera. Visitors and locals alike enjoy these adorable little birds and people can be seen photographing and filming them at their burrows. So, yes you can see baby owls near the burrows throughout the year. CITY OF CAPE CORAL Burrowing Owl Viewing Etiquette Cape Coral is indeed fortunate to have the largest population of the Florida burrowing owl of any place in the world. But its much easier to just call them burrowing owls. Skip to first item. The distinctive birds arent like most owls, though. The burrowing owl occupies not just self-dug burrows, but can make a home in the ends of a drainage culvert underneath driveways, underneath a porch, or where a post used to be. Members helped the owl become the City Bird of Cape Coral. Its worth pointing out that you should never take the owls trust for granted by getting overly close to them, but you can certainly get close enough that a 400mm on a full frame camera will get you some nice images (or 300mm on a crop body) although I opted to use my 1.4x TC on my 200-400 because I prefer to stay further away from my subjects, as airing on the side of caution is always the safest bet. 0000007842 00000 n but avoid completely encircling burrows with silt fencing whenever possible. However, many owls dont reach old age. Burrowing Owls - There are more of these cute little birds in Cape Coral than any other location in the world! Donaldson says for burrowing owls in Cape Coral things could have been much worse. Rules of Engagement if you come to see our owls. The female stays underground and nests while the male hunts, feeds the mother and stands guard on a nearby perch. If posting is warranted, use open designs that do not obstruct visibility for owls and allow for maintenance of the habitat. "We are trying to figure out what to do. 0000003730 00000 n A significant number of burrowing owls are hit by cars each year. One species I had not seen before, but knew could be found in Florida, is the Burrowing Owl. In January, Cape Corals city council unanimously approved a new ordinance that lets city police officers enforce the state statute protecting the owls, puttingmore teeth into the existing state rules. Designed and Developed by Sheen Watkins, This website uses cookies to improve your experience. While some of the Western Burrowing Owls migrate, the Burrowing Owls here in Cape Coral do not migrate. I enjoy writing, the RV travel life, hosting workshops too. As did most of his friends. Sometimes, they even set themselves up in man-made pipes and plastic tubing in the ground. Its really nice to see just how much effort the city puts in to the conservation of the owls, but given how many of the entire states population live there it really is no surprise. But they are also found in parks (Camelot, Saratoga, and BMX Parks), at schools (Cape Elementary and Pelican Elementary), road medians (Veterans Parkway, Pelican Blvd., Country Club Blvd, in swales, (Cay West Shopping Center), and on private lawns. Care should be taken to place signage in a manner that maintains visibility for burrowing owls and is far enough away for people to read the sign without approaching too close to the burrow. Outside of Florida, burrowing owls can be found in southern Georgia,the Caribbean, Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, andall U.S. states west of the Mississippi River. The owls tend to dig their burrows in empty lots and street medians. The best place to see burrowing owls in Florida is in Cape Coral. Its the coolest thing to have an animal like that by you. It's easy to do and takes about half an hour. They were drawn by the wide-open, flat land left by the citys developers as they chopped downtrees to make room for streets and houses. As you remove debris and place it by the curb, watch out for burrowing owls "Many of Cape Coral's iconic and endangered burrowing owls survived Ian," the Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife said in a release issued this morning. Injured or wounded owls please immediately call the Clinic Rehab of Wildlife (CROW) 239-472- 3644. For another, they dont live in barns or trees. While the owls may seem unaffected by your presence, it is disruptive to their day to day activity, and may prevent them from hunting for food, especially when there are chicks present. Instead, they spend most of their time underground. I had great fun photographing the owls in Florida, they are funny little characters, although they dont do a huge amount so dont expect any action shots although I did have one fly between two nests, straight past meI was totally unprepared for it so missed the chance to photograph it, typical. This property is currently available for sale and was listed by NABOR FL on Apr 14, 2023. Omg cutest owls ever! The image on the fence in Fort Lauderdale was two images blended (stacked) in Photoshop. D3, 200-400 VR, 1.4x, 550mm, 1/400, f8, ISO 200. 0000005072 00000 n As you may have seen in the video, many of them are found around the housing estates, which means you basically have to drive around the many residential areas to spot them. where to stay:cape coral, englewood or elsewhere? This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. D3 with 200-400 VR, 400mm, 1/250, f7.1, ISO 400. Too bad their nesting sites get bulldozed." 18. 38 65 They live . I was able to maintain a safe distance for the owls while capturing desired composition. . We saw owls every morning on our four mile walk. 0000004538 00000 n The community of the city really do a lot to look after the owls nesting there, with various tips and advice on the protection and well being of the owls to be found on the Cape Coral website. I looked at a map but I am a little confused. 0000003128 00000 n They went up against a tree or huddled against a home or against a homes eaves. Next, check out snowy owl facts (and where to find them!). Educational signage also can be posted to reduce the probability of disturbance. Call Rotary Park Environment Center to sign up for the guided bus tour to see the Burrowing Owls and other wildlife of Cape Coral. Hi and thanks for reading! Unlike their western cousins, the Florida owls regularly excavate their own homes. Most we saw in one day was 27, that was during nesting season. The Osprey is equally awe-inspiring with its iconic talons extended dive at over 50 mph (80-kph) for their prey. The owls are so deeply associated with the area that the Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife established its own spin on Groundhog Day: Ground Owl Day takes place every February at the Pelican Baseball . The annual burrowing owl festival is sponsored by the Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife and will be held on Saturday, February 25, 2023, from 10AM-4PM. 0000431715 00000 n She has a bachelor's degree in agricultural and environmental communications from the University of Illinois. As is the case with most wildlife, you just have to put the time in and hope you are rewarded with some sightings. 0000005775 00000 n There are a few places where that is especially obvious, and one of those is the town of Cape Coral, just north of Naples along the Gulf of Mexico. Cape Coral Wildlife Trust (CCWT) was formed to acquire land for education, research, and the preservation of Cape Corals indigenous wildlife. This year it's February 29 from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-104799086', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Cape Coral area to take a course and was hoping to see some of your famous "burrowing owls" while visiting. Check out my recent article on Travel Photography: Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. Aperture and Light shares travels, experiences and photography tips to add a little something extra to your journey. The city has a population of about 180,000 people, but thats expected to reach 400,000 by about 2070. Richard Peters is a Surrey based professional wildlife photographer, Nikon Ambassador, and one of the few British photographers to receive the accolade of European Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Burrowing owls had a starring role in Carl Hiassens 2002 kids novel, Hoot, and its 2006 movie adaptation starring Luke Wilson, Logan Lerman and Brie Larson. They tend to move into prairie dog towns or burrows abandoned by prairie dogs, badgers, ground squirrels or desert tortoise. Cape Coral reportedly has over 2,500 burrowing owls located all over the city. To see more, visit WGCU. Even their habitat is protected which is why they are marked with wooden crosses. Lori Vanover is the senior digital editor for Birds & Blooms. Fines and penalties start at $100-$500 and up to 60 days in jail and can go as high as a $5,000 fine and five years in prison, depending on the severity of the crime. Please report the violations to FWC's 24 hour hotline at 1-888-404-3922. Sign the petition by clickingI will sign! Gilbert and Erika Ritter, both members of the Marion County Audubon Society, have found 10 to 15 burrowing owls total in the local area. For the burrowing owls, my Nikon 300 f/4e PF lens with a 1.4 teleconverter was more than enough. Why? Just drive slowly around the streets in that neighborhood, and, you should see birds. That pattern helps the adults avoid predators by blending into their habitat. Today, only one burrow is still active and it is thought that there was just too much human activity for the owls, and they moved on. Councilman John Carioscia said it would speed up response times for violations. Burrowing owls really dig Marco Island. Just dont expect any actual burrowing owls at the fest. CC Breeze Trust Cuts Ribbon Feb. 13, 2018, http://www.cape-coral-daily-breeze.com/page/content.detail/id/666037/Trust-cuts-ribbon-on-first-conservation-lot-in-Cape-Coral.html, https://myfwc.com/license/wildlife/protected-wildlife-permits/burrowing-owl/, Burrowing Owls, Gopher Tortoises: CCFW 239-980-2593, Cape Coral Code Enforcement: 239-574-0613, Monitor Lizards: CC Environmental Resources 239-574-0785. She knows exactly who he is.". 0000005592 00000 n A burrowing owl pair may dig a tunnel 10 feet long in only two days. Bertolini said highlighting the owls would draw more people to the Capeand increase tourism with wildlife lovers and others. 0000003730 00000 n She has a population of about 180,000 people, but thats expected to reach by! Dont expect any actual burrowing owls and other wildlife of Cape Coral any... Owls migrate, the RV travel life, hosting workshops too owls migrate, the Florida owls regularly excavate own... 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