South Florida Burrowing Owl locations

I'd like to photograph Burrowing Owls in South Florida. I'll be

visiting Sanibel Island, Inhinga trail and Key West. I'll be there at

the end of February and would appreciate any leads on where and when

the best time to see them. Thank you in advance for your help.

 

Brian P. Bower

camra@aol.com

I am not aware of any sites on Sanibel itself and have not been to the other places. I recommend obtaining a copy of "A Birder's Guide to Florida" from your local Audubon Society office, or order it from the American Birding Association. In it, pages 188 - 191 provide information such as driving directions, and maps, on owl locations in Fort Myers and Punta Gorda (up to road). Have fun.

It has been several years since I visited this location, but the Homestead airport near the Everglades has a few pairs that reside along the taxi ramps near the hangars. This airport may not be open now following the last hurricane. I checked with the airport authority regarding access and they allowed me to shoot on a day that was not busy. The owls burrowed near one of the taxi marker lamps which made for an interesting contrast when included in the frame. I was able to slowly work my way to within 15 feet of the burrow and the 2 owls came and went, caught insects and posed as if I was just another resident.

 

I used a 500/4 with a 1.4x and extension tubes and cable release which gave some very tight shots.

 

Good luck.

 

Peter Bick

There are (were) a number of owls in the Cape Coral area (just north of Ft. Myers and Sanibel). I photographed 3-4 different birds in November 1996 near the intersection of SW 25th Avenue and Cape Coral Parkway. The area is mentioned in the ABA Guide to birding in Florida. Good luck!

Find the Rutenberg Library grounds in Ft. Myers before going out to Sanibel. Look for burrows marked and cordoned (for protection so they won't get trampled.) There are several burrows around, one just at the front lefthand corner of the tennis courts. It's a reliable place and the locals take great pride in having them on the library/park grounds. Happily, they go out of there way to protect them.

 

The most reliable place that I have found (the owls are always there) is on the east coast near Ft. Lauderdale/Tamarac--a park called Brian Piccolo County (or state) Park, named after the Chicago Bears football player. From I-95, exit at Sheridan (about 2 exits south of Ft. Lauderdale airport) and head west for probably 4-5 miles. You'll see signs for the park. It's a big multi-purpose park with lots of open fields. The burrowing owl burrows are clearly marked and cordoned for their protecton. Naturally, despite the fact that this is an open public parkground, normal bird photography etiquette applys. BTW, they collect $1 per person entry fee on weekends.

 

The 2 AM places should give you your fill of Burrowing Owl shots.

 

Good luck.

Thanks for the Rutenberg Library location. It is actually a community center as well with ball diamonds , lacrosse , etc. The first burrow is about 60 feet in from the entrance near the yellow speed limit sign. The burrow is right beside the white fence. I got lots of great shots, but it takes a bit of work to eliminate the fence and roadway from your photo. I would suggest checking the burrow first and clearing the garbage from around it. One of the workers there said they have to pull pop cans, etc. out of it periodically due to the kids. The other location is about 70-80 feet behind the tennis courts along a chain link fence. I was amazed at the amount of human activity so close to the burrows. It doesn't seem to bother them much. A person walked within 2 feet of one before it flew when I was there.

I was in the area March 12-18 and was able to photograph a pair of them in the Cape Coral area mentioned in the ABA guide. I was there in late afternoon 4-6 pm. After I got to the area mentioned in the guide, I asked a couple of the residents and they were able to direct me to active burrows.

This may be a bit late to help you on this trip, but maybe you can use the information on future visits to the south Florida area.

 

The campus of Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton is locally famous for its population of Burrowing Owls. I believe the Burrowing Owl is the schools's mascot. Images of the little critter appear on all kinds of Florida Atlantic things. Their burrows can be found in the fields all around the perimeter of the campus.

So Brian, we presume you have been to Florida and back. How was the Burrowing Owl shooting??

Thank you all for the burrowing owl locations in south Fla. Unfortunatly I was not able to use them this year, but I will use these locations on my next trip.

I did get to Ding Darling on Sanibel Island, but a cold front arrived with me on 21 Feb. This cold weather really put a damper on bird activity and my photography. On two separate days, I attempted to leave the island in the afternoon to go to Ft Myers and Cape Coral, but was turned back by bumper to bumper traffic. I was stuck in traffic for an hour each time before I gave up. Everything stopped moving from the Hungry Heron heading to the causeway, so I just returned to Ding darling where at least I was seeing some birds instead of tail lights.

Thanks again,

Brian P. Bower

A super easy to find burrow that contains no less than seven individual burrowing owls in South Florida in on the Turnpike. On the Northbound lane, just North of the 57th Avenue (Red Road) exit is a large landfill, (ewxtreme Northern Dade County, just Souht of Broward). Just about 100-200 yards South of the Northern edge of the landfill, at the base of the barbed wire fence is the borrow. You can slowly cruise the shoulder scanning for the birds or the borrow starting about about the half-way point of the fill. Every morning the birds perch in the fence and flay about. Good photo op.