When is the Best Time to See Burrowing Owls?
The Burrowing Owls in Florida do not migrate and they are diurnal (active during the day). They do hunt at night but unlike most owls, they can readily be seen sitting near their burrows just
about any time of the day and any time of the year. The time of year dictates which of the owls you will see.
September – January: Single owls whose mates have not survived the previous year, pairs that have survived the summer, and the juveniles from the previous spring who are fully grown, can
often be seen at the burrows. Since Burrowing Owls mate for life, the pairs will be easily seen outside the burrow, and the single owls will be quite common. The single males will actively be looking for a mate, usually during the night.
January-February: You will see the adult pairs hanging out in front of the burrow and often sitting on the perches near the burrows.
February-March: You will see an occasional pair, but mostly single males guarding the burrows. The females are spending most of the time in the burrow getting ready for nesting season, or with chicks.
April-June: Since Burrowing Owls mate for life, the pairs will be easily seen outside the burrow, and the single owls will be quite common. The singles will actively be looking for a mate, usually during the night.- May-June: These are the months where you will have the best chance of seeing the young chicks. Watching the little owls learn to hunt and to fly, is a sight to behold. By July the chicks are flying well and have lost their “baby feathers” and look like the parents and are already about the same size.
July-September: During the summer months, they like to get out of the hot Florida sun and duck into some shade, so you may have to look around the area for shady spots where they are hiding.
The best time of day to see the owls is, in my humble opinion the morning. The afternoons can get quite hot, and the owls, unlike our tourists, like to get out of the sun into a cool spot. Photographers like
that “golden hour” just after sunrise and just before sunset.
The cold weather we sometimes experience in the winter doesn’t bother the owls very much. You will see them sitting at the burrow, all puffed up, keeping warm.
Rain doesn’t deter them either. They seem to like the rain and are often seen in torrential downpours, sitting on their perches, as if taking a shower.
These birds are wild, so any of the above information is just a generalization. Some years during the winter we see lots of pairs, and it is an occasional treat to have chicks born in December.
Since the Burrowing Owls in Florida do not migrate, they can be seen all year long.
- October- February: Since Burrowing Owls mate for life, the pairs will be easily seen outside the burrow, and the single owls will be quite common. The singles will actively be looking for a mate, usually during the night.
- March-April: You will see pairs, but during this time, the female spends a lot of time in the burrow getting ready for the arrival of the newborn chicks.
- May-June: These are the months where you will have the best chance of seeing the young chicks. Watching the little owls learn to hunt and to fly, is a sight to behold. By July the chicks are flying well and have lost their “baby feathers” look like the parents and are already about the same size.
What time of the day is best for viewing the owls?
Burrowing owls are crepuscular meaning they are active both day and night. They do most of their hunting at dawn and dusk but are commonly seen sitting in front of the burrow entrance or on a nearby t-perch provided by local volunteers.
Please read the special instructions on viewing the Burrowing Owls to be familiar with the new ordinances passed by the City of Cape Coral.
These ordinances were passed because of the change in the status of the Florida Burrowing Owls from species of special concern to that of Threatened.
Rules of Engagement- Please read
When you begin to find the burrows you will be amazed at where they are located. Often they are right at the edge of a sidewalk or street, in the medians of a busy road, or on someone’s front lawn. While theoretically you can be walking on a sidewalk only a few feet from them, please keep back 33 feet as required by law. The Federal Migratory Bird Act prohibits the harassment of the owls, their nests and their eggs. Baiting them to get a photo, or disturbing them to get that Kodak moment and use of sound devices, IS AGAINST FEDERAL LAW and carries stiff penalties. The residents of Cape Coral are very protective of the owls and if they see you lying three feet from the burrow with a 600mm camera lens, THEY WILL CALL THE POLICE!
Many of these burrowing are on the front lawns of private homes. Please respect their property. Park your car at the edge of the road and not on their lawns, and avoid walking on the lawns.
Do not stay at a burrow for a long length of time. Even though the owls appear to tolerate humans, they will not leave the nest if humans are present. If there are owlets in the nest that means the parents will not leave to get food.
Please read the article on birding ethics published by the American Birding Association printed out below.
Scan the area for hawks. Hawks are one of the owl’s biggest predators and exact a toll on them. If you see a hawk, leave the area. The owls will be so busy looking at you, they may not see the hawk headed for them.
Also watch for cars. If you scare the owl to the point where it flies away, they run the risk of being hit by a car. Keep your distance. If you see an owl start to puff up and hiss, as this photo shows, back off. You are getting too close. I emailed the photographer that sent me this photo that if the owl is exhibiting this behavior, it is because the photographer was too close.
Burrowing Owl burrows can be up to 10 feet long. The PVC pipes that mark the burrow are to alert the City lot mowers that a burrow is present. The nesting chamber can be outside the perimeter of the pipes, so even by walking close to the PVC pipes, you could be stepping on the nest chamber and can cause it to collapse, trapping the owls inside. So please do not walk inside the PVC pipes , for sure, and keep a safe distance outside the PVC pipes as well.
Legal Implications
*The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1928 is a United States Federal Law, first enacted in 1916 in order to implement the convention for the protection of migratory birds between the United States and Great Britain (acting on behalf of Canada). The statute makes it unlawful, without a waiver, to pursue, hunt, take, capture, kill or sell birds listed therein1 (“migratory birds). The statute does not discriminate between live or dead birds and also grants full protection to any bird parts including feathers, eggs, and nests. Over 800 species are currently on the list. 2
Even though the Florida species of the Burrowing Owl does not migrate, the Burrowing Owl is on this list, so again, I repeat, it is a FEDERAL offense to harass these birds.
- This list can be seen by doing a Google search for “birds protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act”.
- Information from Wikipedia.org
Do not attempt to feed the Burrowing Owls. Their diet consists of mice, roaches, small snakes, anoles (aka lizards) and frogs, and not crackers, peanuts, granola bars, or McDonald’s ®french fries.
Not only is this bad for their health, it is illegal!
A note about taking photos at schools. Several of the burrows are located on school property. A gentleman with a high-powered camera can, and has been viewed as a possible predator. The police have been called by locals and the photographers have some tall explaining to do. If you see a burrow near a school, and it is absolutely necessary to take that photos, weekends are a safer bet when no children are around.
Birding Ethics from the American Birding Association’s “Code of Birding Ethics”
Everyone who enjoys birds and birding must always respect wildlife, its environment, and the rights of others. In any conflict of interest between birds and birders, the welfare of the birds and their environment comes first.
Code of Birding Ethics
1. Promote the welfare of birds and their environment.
1(a) Support the protection of important bird habitat.
1(b) To avoid stressing birds or exposing them to danger, exercise restraint and caution during observation, photography, sound recording, or filming.
Limit the use of recordings and other methods of attracting birds, and never use such methods in heavily birded areas, or for attracting any species that is Threatened, Endangered, or of Special Concern, or is rare in your local area;
Keep well back from nests and nesting colonies, roosts, display areas, and important feeding sites. In such sensitive areas, if there is a need for extended observation, photography, filming, or recording, try to use a blind or hide, and take advantage of natural cover.
Use artificial light sparingly for filming or photography, especially for close-ups.
1(c) Before advertising the presence of a rare bird, evaluate the potential for disturbance to the bird, its surroundings, and other people in the area, and proceed only if access can be controlled, disturbance minimized, and permission has been obtained from private land-owners. The sites of rare nesting birds should be divulged only to the proper conservation authorities.
1(d) Stay on roads, trails, and paths where they exist; otherwise keep habitat disturbance to a minimum.
2. Respect the law, and the rights of others.
2(a) Do not enter private property without the owner’s explicit permission.
2(b) Follow all laws, rules, and regulations governing use of roads and public areas, both at home and abroad.
2(c) Practice common courtesy in contacts with other people. Your exemplary behavior will generate goodwill with birders and non-birders alike.
3. Ensure that feeders, nest structures, and other artificial bird environments are safe.
3(a) Keep dispensers, water, and food clean, and free of decay or disease. It is important to feed birds continually during harsh weather.
3(b) Maintain and clean nest structures regularly.
3(c) If you are attracting birds to an area, ensure the birds are not exposed to predation from cats and other domestic animals, or dangers posed by artificial hazards.
4. Group birding, whether organized or impromptu, requires special care.
Each individual in the group, in addition to the obligations spelled out in Items #1 and #2, has responsibilities as a Group Member.
4(a) Respect the interests, rights, and skills of fellow birders, as well as people participating in other legitimate outdoor activities. Freely share your knowledge and experience, except where code 1(c) applies. Be especially helpful to beginning birders.
4(b) If you witness unethical birding behavior, assess the situation, and intervene if you think it prudent. When interceding, inform the person(s) of the inappropriate action, and attempt, within reason, to have it stopped. If the behavior continues, document it, and notify appropriate individuals or organizations.
Group Leader Responsibilities [amateur and professional trips and tours].
4(c) Be an exemplary ethical role model for the group. Teach through word and example.
4(d) Keep groups to a size that limits impact on the environment, and does not interfere with others using the same area.
4(e) Ensure everyone in the group knows of and practices this code.
4(f) Learn and inform the group of any special circumstances applicable to the areas being visited (e.g. no tape recorders allowed).
4(g) Acknowledge that professional tour companies bear a special responsibility to place the welfare of birds and the benefits of public knowledge ahead of the company’s commercial interests. Ideally, leaders should keep track of tour sightings, document unusual occurrences, and submit records to appropriate organizations.
Please Follow this Code and Distribute and Teach it to Others
The American Birding Association’s Code of Birding Ethics may be freely reproduced for distribution/dissemination. Please acknowledge the role of ABA in developing and promoting this code with a link to the ABA website using the urlhttp://www.aba.org. Thank you.