BURROWING OWLS OF CAPE CORAL

 

Warning!   Cute Overload Ahead.  

 

We went owl hunting one afternoon last weekend -- armed with only a camera of course.

We found six burrows as we traveled around the City of Cape Coral.   The Cape is home to the world's largest population of  the Florida species of burrowing owls.  (This species of pint-sized owls is found only in and around Florida and the Bahamas.)  

 

 

This Burrowing Owl is one of the smallest of all the owls, with adults weighing  in at five to eight ounces and measuring 7 to 11 inches tall.

 

 

If you think the  adult Burrowing Owl  in the picture above is sweet, look out below.    

 

 

  

Here's one of the babies.   I warned you!

While the Western species of these owls live in abandoned prairie dog burrows, "ours" dig their own burrows.   The Cape Coral owls do not migrate but often hide during the summer to avoid the hot summer sun.  The best time to see the chicks is late April through June.

 

 

Double the Cuteness

 

The very best thing about these owls, as far as I am concerned, is that they are out during the day.   Please do know that the  camera we were "armed" with on this photo shoot has a very good zoom lens.  We were respectful of the owls and their space.   That can be a problem for birds that nest on the ground like these do.

 

Whether  looking at you, sleeping, or turning their backs, these little owls are cute cute cute.

 

 

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  Linking to: NATURE NOTES (thank you Michelle);  OUR WORLD on Tuesday (thank you to Lady Fi, Gattina, Arija, Sylvia, and Sandy; and to WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY (thank you Stewart).

   

(I couldn't stop taking pictures on this photo hunt, so if you've recovered from this cute overload by Wednesday, come back to  see a follow-up post with more information about the owls and how they are protected.) 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Florence]

They are so darn cute!

[Gaelyn]

I didn't know there was a Florida species of Burrowing Owls. I've seen some out west and they are the cutest. Great distant shots!

[Ruby]

Wow,how beautiful Sallie.....great shots!

[Neil]

Great shots of the owls.

[Lavender Dreams]

Oh my goodness...cuteness abounds! I would be 'over the moon' to see an owl in the wild..any kind of owl! heehee! I just think they are so amazing! WOW!

[NatureFootstep]

10 points for all cuteness :)
Thanks Sallie for sharing them. :)

[Patty Hartley]

Oh wonderful, you are just the best photographer! Keep putting this great "stuff" on FB for me!

[KJ]

So cute! I have photos of the Western version in my post this week...didn't know there was an Eastern one so thanks for sharing! I learned something!

[Barb]

I have never heard of Burrowing Owls. They're so tiny! I, too, am now at a beach, Sallie! I'm seeing Pelicans - lots of Pelicans, and small shore birds.

[Dianne]

Yes, they are cute, and I enjoyed this post as I am a fan of owls.

[Anu]

Great photos!
They are really cute owls :)

[Sharon Wagner]

What a serious owl at the top. And then ...owlets. Joy! How fantastic to see them.

[Lea]

Fantastic!

[breathtaking]

Hello Sallie!:) So glad you found and captured the wonderful little Burrowing Owls. Your images are splendid, and it was such a treat to see so many.

[Amy]

love love love this post! Owls are my favourite bird, we have moreporks here in NZ, a relative of them and quite often you hear them at night calling out "morepork"

[Linda, Shenandoah Valley]

They are very cute! Well done.

[Frank (UK)]

Lovely photos of a very cute species.

[Gunilla]

Wonderful photos! They're adorable!

[Gattina]

I adore owls ! They have the same look as cat Rosie ! I have never seen one free, but often in a zoo or animal parks.
You were so lucky to make these cute pictures of them !

[Ratty]

Wonderful owls! I really like owls but I've never seen any myself. I once saw one on top of a gas station building and I began happily taking pictures. after about a dozen I realized it was a fake owl put there to frighten away the pigeons.

[Beverly Saltonstall]

Salle,
Did you notice that the chicks that you took the photos of have black eyes? This appears to be an anomaly only found in the Florida Burrowing Owls. Researchers are looking into it and think it is because of inbreeding. Since the Burrowing Owls of Florida do not migrate (why would anyone want to leave Florida? LOL), and they tend to stay within a relatively short distance of where they were born, there is a lot on inbreeding going on. The chicks do not out grow these black eyes. We have one photo of a Burrowing Owl with one black eye and one yellow eye. We don't have any statistics to see if this unusual eye coloring affects their survival rate.
Great photos by the way and thanks for respecting the owls by keeping your distance.

[Ramblingwoods]

Oh my gosh.... How cute are they. Thank you for reminding us to be respectful of the wildlife... Michelle

[Holly]

Cute overload is correct!!! Great shots!

[Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti]

What interesting little owls! They look like they were on the lookout for their next meal, Sallie. It's nice that they can be seen in daytime. So many owls here in Colorado are nocturnal.

[DeniseinVA]

How neat Linda, you took great photos and the one you warned us about, perfect shot! Beyond adorable!

[Penny]

You warned me, but, did I heed your warning? No. I kept looking and looking and now I am smitten with this owl. They are, most definitely, CUTE. Thank you, Sallie.

[Sondra-SC]

OHHH!! Wonderful, I've yet to bag an Burrowing Owl...this is excellent!

[artmusedog and carol]

You are right ~ the baby owls are precious ~ wonderful photography!

Happy Week to you ~ ^_^

[Lois]

Oh my gosh, I don't know if I could have stood seeing all that cuteness in person, but I'd wish I had! You got some wonderful pictures. Those babies are adorable.

To answer your question about the Sandhill Cranes my grandson photographed, I'm not sure if it's the same pair or not. We named them Bob and Philomena. James decided to name one of the babies Alex and he is still thinking about what to name the other. Since we don't know their gender, we are trying to decide on something that could be either one!

[Hattie]

Really sweet. I'm not the big bird lover in my family, my sister is, but I loved these pix and your consideration for the owls in their habitat.

[Andrea @ From The Sol]

I am an Owl lover so I promise you I will be back for more. We don't have Burrowing owls in our part of the world so I have never had the privilege of seeing one. I will, however, make it a point, if I ever make it back to Florida again. These are wonderful pictures and I appreciate your showing the owls respect by keeping your distance ... it is the right thing to do. Thank you for these ... total enjoyment :)

Andrea @ From The Sol

[Lowell]

Hi again, Sallie. Thanks so much for your nice comments. I wanted to mention that there have been a number of Ocala horses (or their progeny) who have been in the winner's circle at a variety of venues.

[Colleen@ LOOSELEAFNOTES]

I keep thinking they look like penguins and that there should be a movie made about them. Who?

[fun60]

They are too cute for words.

[TexWisGirl]

oh, they are precious little things!

thanks for your kind comment on my blog. some days i feel like throwing in the blogging towel as i just can't do it all. working nights, sleeping away the days, trying to keep up at run*a*round with horses, dogs, chores... ah, well. life isn't always easy, but i appreciate the friendships i have here in blogland. thanks for yours, always. :)

[Linda aka Crafty Gardener]

Those owls are so adorable, wonderful photos.

[Photo Cache]

Oh my how cute. Are they in danger being on the ground with so many predators around?

[Linda]

They are so sweet! I'll take a cute overload every day!!!

Linda

[Debbie]

ooooh goodness sallie, what more could one possibly need other than a camera??!! your commentary is wonderful, the only thing better are your images. good thing they line up and look out for one another, looks like they could each use a little assistance!!!

what an amazing sighting and experience, i am so happy for you sallie. i hope you had an amazing weekend!!! and thanks always, for leaving me the kindest comments!!!

[Lady Fi]

Owl have you know that this is just too cute! ;-)

[vagabonde]

So very cute! You are lucky to have seen them. Thank you for coming to my blog. I did write a response and in case you do not see it, here it is “Sallie - thank you for your comment, but we have not moved yet. It will take a while as we have so much stuff. The house with the puppies is our daughter's. She came to GA with her husband to start us to move, just a tiny start.” It will take a long time because I am the only one clearing out all the stuff we have accumulated in 40 years. I so wish we had moved already, but we will be lucky if we move by the end of the year…

[Lowell]

Very cool. There were a bunch of these in large church yard in south Florida and we'd see them quite often. When people began to talk about building on that land, one of the major concerns was the owls. I don't think anything has been built there, thank goodness.

[Daniela]

I so love owls but so little owls, well, that is the very first time I see them and they're really so very cute, thank you for sharing all the wonders you catch in your shots, sweetest Sallie !

Hope your week is off to a great start I wish you wondeful days to come, sending my dearest love to you

Dany

[nancy chan]

The owls are really cute. And they lined up in a row for you. I used to think that owls only comes out at night.

[ellen b]

Oh my word! How amazing to see so many owls. Love your captures. Have a great week!

[Joe Todd]

Well done.. Saying Hi from Ohio

[craftygreenpoet]

So cute! I've also seen a video of these little owls, they are just adorable

[Eileen]

Hello Sallie, I just love these cute Owls. I could never get tired of seeing them. I visited Cape Coral during one of my Florida visits to see the burrowing owls, they were easy to find. Great post and photos. Happy Monday, enjoy your new week!

[Arija]

Sallie, these little cuties really are the cutest! It makes my fingers itch to pick them up and cuddle them though, of course I would never do that unless one was hurt and needed the vet.
Small wonder you are still glowing with the experience.

[Optimistic Existentialist]

I LOVE these captures. I have only seen owls in person on two occasions in my life...I am envious :)

[Linda]

Wow, Sallie, this is an awesome series! Thanks so much for sharing.