Prowling for owls

Our local Audubon Society Chapter supports a very successful Project Perch to monitor and protect Burrowing Owls and increase their breeding opportunities by creating artificial nests. I recently participated in a "Burrowing Owl Prowl" sponsored by a residential community in Cooper City, Florida. 

Major power transmission lines run through the heart of this community. The easement under the wires is maintained as an extensive grassy open space. The owls occupy burrows, usually located in hillocks which are slightly elevated above flood water level. 

The owls are most easily seen at the entrances to their burrows in morning or evening twilight. Yet the participants in the walk had the opportunity to observe several from a safe distance, which is marked out at 10 meters (~33 feet). All my photos were taken from at least that distance:

The enthusiastic attendees were provided with a short presentation about Burrowing Owls, which occupied the area naturally and also use man-made burrows. Residents and community leaders exuded pride about their role in building the owl  population, displaced by human development and activity. 

The range of Burrowing Owls extends into parts of North, Central and South America. Although not designated as an Endangered Species in the US, nine States have listed it as Endangered, Threatened, or Species of Special Concern. It is also protected in parts of Canada and in Mexico.  

Some had been relocated from construction sites, athletic fields and airports. They were shown this example of an artificial owl burrow.

It consists of a PVC pipe and a cylindrical bucket-like container with a screw top which is buried three feet down and serves as a "room." It has enlarged openings for the pipe and another hole opposite the pipe to allow the owls to dig extensively around the structure. 

Very efficient excavators, they commonly extend their burrows up to ten feet away from the container and also create "back doors."

The South Florida Audubon team places a "T" perch near each owl burrow. This provides them with a vantage point from which to easily see insects and small vertebrates, their main food items. The elevated roost also allows them to detect and evade the hawks (particularly Cooper's Hawks) which prey on the owls: 

The immediate areas around burrows are cordoned off with instructions to landscapers that, to avoid damage to the nests, motorized lawn mowers cannot be used within the protected area. Instead, the grass is maintained with string trimmers:

The Burrowing Owls are quite small-- about 9.5" (19-25 cm) long and weigh an average of only about 5.3 to 6.0 oz (150-170 g). In comparison, the length of  European Starlings averages  about 8.7" (22 cm). 

These are two taxidermy owls who have sad tales about their demise:

• Link to Live South Florida Audubon Burrowing Owl Cam

Like the owls, we are very active in crepuscular light on our morning walks. Here is an iPhone photo taken in our local wetlands, 40 minutes before sunrise. Street lights illuminate the northern sky:

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Linking to:

Nature Thursday

Skywatch Friday

Weekend Reflections

Saturday's Critters

BirdD'Pot

Camera Critters

All Seasons

Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday)

Natasha Musing

Our World Tuesday

Wild Bird Wednesday

My Corner of the World

Timeless Thursday

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Please visit the links to all these posts to see some excellent photos on display
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Crops & Clips: Flashback to February, 2014

While remembering events in February, three years ago, I was able to find photos depicting some favorite memes: Critters, Wild Birds, Fences, Sky, Reflections, Flowers, Seasons, and wordless beauty. Nary a cloud in any of my sky shots. It was a very dry month.

Flashing forward and hoping this month in 2017 will be less stressful than last. It is starting out beautifully! 

Visit to Long Key Nature Center, February 20, 2014:



"Glory" and "Honor," the 12th and 13th eaglets known to have hatched in the nest we have been monitoring since 2007, and the last progeny of Joy, the first female, who suddenly disappeared that autumn. Photo taken on  February 1, 2014:



Male Bald Eagle (Pride) roosting in adjacent tree:



Eastern Towhee with yellow eyes, at Chapel Trail Preserve in Pembroke PInes on February 2, 2014:



Limpkin in flight at Chapel Trail, February 3:



 Great Egret, also at Chapel Trail, February 3:



Pair of Burrowing Owls at Vista View Park, February 18:



Yellow-crowned Night-Heron display in our local rookery, February 24:



Great Egret reflection, February 17:



Zebra heliconian on Lantana bloom:



 Monarch on Ligustrum:



Glory and Honor on February 25 at age of 45 days:



Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in our back yard Mahogany tree, February 28:



Sapsucker damage to the tree, February 28. Happily, the tree recovered in spring:



Valentine's Day moon, February 14:



 Views of the boardwalk at nearby Chapel Trail Preserve on February 9:






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Linking to Misty's  CAMERA CRITTERS,

Linking to Eileen's SATURDAY'S CRITTERS,

Linking to GOOD FENCES by Gosia

Linking to SKYWATCH FRIDAY by Yogi, Sylvia and Sandy

Linking to WEEKEND REFLECTIONS by James

Linking to BirdD'Pot by Anni

Linking to Wild Bird Wednesday by Stewart

Linking to Today's Flowers Friday by Denise

Linking to Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) by NC Sue

Linking to ALL SEASONS by Jesh

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Please visit the links to all these memes to see some excellent photos on display

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Crops & Clips: Flashback to April, 2013

This continues my monthly retrospective on past experiences, memories from three years ago. I will continue to search the archives for photos which represent a few selected themes: Living CRITTERS of all kinds, beautiful SKIES and REFLECTIONS, as well as MACRO images and GOOD FENCES. I have met this challenge for the past 15 months in a row, so let's see how far I must travel into the month of April, 2013 to achieve my goal!

I started the month out right, while observing the local Bald Eagle nest, as a pair of Red-shouldered Hawks landed atop a light standard along the road (April 1, 2013):



The next morning the female eagle provided a nice fly-by photo opportunity:



A not-very-handsome "critter" was reluctant to get out of our path on April 8. This Opossum had not quite finished eating a rat which had been killed by the mowers, as its tail still protruded from its mouth:



The juvenile Bald Eagle was still returning to the nest to be fed:



A Marsh Lily provided a nice macro study:



On April 14 we visited a ranch in Hendry County to the north, where Barred Owls had a nest, ...



...a Swllow-tailed Kite flew overhead...



...and a wild sow shepherded her piglets:



At the ranch we also saw a Crested Caracara,...



...Wild Turkeys,...



...Burrowing Owls,...



...and Roseate Spoonbills:



So far, we have seen a plethora of "critters," but I could not pass by this Gray Squirrel in our front yard:



Thanks to the breezes which produce ripples on our Florida lakes, we are halfway through the month without a single nice reflection. Now we return to Illinois, to find a restless sky over the entrance to Nelson lake Forest Preserve, ...



...and on April 29 find a fledgling Great Horned Owl in a local park...



...as well as a weak excuse for the reflection of a dabbling pair of Mallards:



Still no fences, unless Theresa allows me to count this poor imitation of one in a construction zone, with a Tree Swallow beautifying its post:



If you squint while looking as the flood water recedes in Jones Meadow Park, you may see another fence in the distance:



On April 28, another macro-- a White Trout Lily:



On the last day of the month, a Northern Waterthrush cast its true reflection in a brook, but can you see either? (click to enlarge)

 

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Linking to Misty's  CAMERA CRITTERS,

Linking to Eileen's SATURDAY'S CRITTERS,

Linking to GOOD FENCES by Tex (Theresa). 

Linking to SKYWATCH FRIDAY by Yogi, Sylvia and Sandy

Linking to WEEKEND REFLECTIONS by James

Linking to BirdD'Pot by Anni

Linking to Wild Bird Wednesday by Stewart

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Please visit the links to all these memes to see some excellent photos on display

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Burrowing Owl Tragedy

My grandfather raised chickens in his back yard. Growing up in New Jersey, our homes were adjacent and we shared a common driveway. I got to know Pop's laying hens by name and could often recognize their eggs by their size, color and shape and in which nest box they were deposited. His chickens caused me great emotional trauma on two occasions-- once when I killed one accidentally and then when I unknowingly ate "Biddy," one of my favorites (See: Chicken Killer).

By giving the chickens names I got to know their individual traits and personalities. They were like little people to me, like Bambi whose mother was so cruelly killed in a movie that traumatized many little kids. I hated the "Chicken Hawks" that sometimes took the pullets. Yet I eat my Big Mac without thought of abattoirs or anonymous bovines.

We have watched a Bald Eagle nest over seven breeding seasons. The eagle watchers gave some of them names. This year, Pride and Joy's 12th and 13th eaglets are named Honor and Glory (See them in my Bald Eagle FORUM). Naming them gives people a connection with these majestic birds and has often opened doors to a much greater appreciation of the natural world.

Here is Pride with his eaglets, Honor and Glory when they were about 5 weeks old:



Is it a good idea to name these wild creatures? School children conducted polls back in 2009 and 2010 to name the broods: twins Hope and Justice, and triplets Lucky, Chance and Courage. 

When eaglets fledge they sometimes disappear for a few days before hunger drives them back to the nest. Since there is a high risk of mortality at the time of first flight, their absence causes great anxiety. "Hope is lost!"  "Waiting for Courage!" These two returned, but two other fledglings (the 9th and 11th) disappeared and ground searches found no sign of them, dead or alive. They were mourned as departed friends (Pride and Joy's Family Album).

I took this photo of the male eagle (Pride) from about 1/2 mile away as he carried a Tricolored Heron to his two growing eaglets. Did I mourn the loss of this beautiful long-legged wader, a species  that often graces the shores of the lake in our back yard? Truthfully, I was indifferent as it had no name. 

 

Burrowing Owls nest on 65 school properties in the Broward County School District. They have bred at one of the locations for at least 30 years. A nest camera has monitored their daily activities at one school for the past year. The owls were given names by the students and they avidly followed happenings at the nest. Last November I was asked to photograph the pair to provide images for fund-raising T-shirts and trinkets. 

The pair was very obliging, but rarely did both stare at the camera at the same time. Their faces are distinctive-- the male is on the right.

 

Most of the time they were always looking in different directions, ever alert because predators higher up on the food chain have learned to look there for an easy meal. Over the eons the fittest survive and the weak and unwary are weeded out.

 

They face the threat of bird hawks by day, and larger owls by night.



While I was photographing the adults a Cooper's Hawk flew towards them. They immediately saw it coming and dove down into the burrow well before it swooped low over the nest.



In early January, an immature Cooper's Hawk visited the burrow three times during this 5 minute clip, even reaching down into the cavity in search of the owls.

LINK to video here if the space below is blank



By January there was evidence that the owls had offspring. Heavy rains threatened to flood their burrow, but during February four owlets appeared. They were given names. The first to emerge was an adventurous little owlet named "Peeper."  Perhaps he was too adventuresome. 

Here, the little tyke ventures too far from the nest. Upon seeing a threat, that thankfully never materialized, it dives back into the burrow even before all three of its siblings can get out of the way.

Click here if video does not not appear in the space below



You may skip the next clip if you are disturbed by the raw violence of nature. Why didn't at least one of the dozing babies keep an eye on the sky at all times? The adult Cooper's Hawk is exercising its survival skills just as two of the owlets fail in theirs. There is cunning but no hate. Almost by accident, the hawk grasps two owlets at once, kills both but can carry off only one. Usually these encounters occur out of sight and mind, but the camera captures all. And the owlets had names. 

RIP, Peeper and Owlie.

Link to video here if there is a blank space below



The science teacher at the school wrote:

One of my male students responded after watching the graphic loss of the owlets, "that is so sad". He was obviously in deep thought for a while and then suddenly said, "I know what I will do. I will bring in my favorite piece from my rock collection, obsidian. Will you place it at the burrow as a memorial for the two owlets?" I said yes and he did bring it in. We will let him place it by the perch. This shows some of my students have become attached to the owls and their owlets and will be more likely to show understanding and compassion toward other species as well as an appreciation for nature. Wasn't this one of our owlcam goals from the beginning?

Link to more selected video clips from this nest cam:

Broward County Burrowing Owl Cam You Tube Channel