Burrowing Owls in Cape Coral
Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife invite you to visit their web page at www.ccfriendsofwildlife.org, for up-to-date information on their 22nd Annual Burrowing Owl Festival which will be held on Saturday, Feb. 24 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Rotary Park, 5505 Rose Garden Road, Cape Coral.
The Florida burrowing owl is classified as state-threatened by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and Cape Coral is indeed fortunate to have the largest population of Florida burrowing owls of any place in the world. Their burrows are unique in that they are easily accessible via city streets. Although it is wonderful to view these fascinating birds up close, we need to resist the temptation of loving them to death.
If the owls start bobbing their heads, you are already too close.
To help protect this species of special concern, state and federal laws prohibit the harassment of burrowing owls. This includes throwing rocks at them, trying to catch them, offering food items of any kind, or getting so close that their normal behavior is compromised in any way, especially during nesting season. The nesting season officially runs from Feb. 15 through July 10.
What many people do not realize, especially since Cape Coral’s burrowing owls are so prevalent in established neighborhoods, is that your mere presence can adversely affect the well-being of the owls. Although the owls may appear content, or tolerant of your presence, if you are too close, they may be afraid to leave the nest area to hunt for food for their young. If the owls start bobbing their heads, you are already too close. Bobbing their heads is not a way of saying hello, they are getting nervous and want you to back away.
When viewing burrowing owls and taking pictures, do not stay in the area around them for extended periods of time and maintain a minimum distance of 33 feet. Please consider that other people also come from all over the world to view and photograph our burrowing owls. The cumulative effect of too many people, too close, for too long, could be devastating to the young.
Consideration of their needs and well-being will help us to ensure that there are burrowing owls for many generations to come. Informational brochures are available at City Hall, the Cape Coral Historical Museum, local veterinary offices, and the Cape Coral Library. For more information, please visit the Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife website. Finally, please be considerate of residents’ property rights and right to privacy when viewing burrowing owls in Cape Coral. Do not park in residents’ yards or driveways or block traffic flow in city streets.
Every week on Wednesday morning, weather permitting, Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife members perform maintenance on some of the nearly 2,200 burrowing owl burrows located in the city. Armed with city maps, weed whackers, safety equipment, and lots of enthusiasm this group of dedicated volunteers trim burrows with high weeds, install PVC pipes and perches on newly found burrows, and repair and clean up existing burrows.
They also have obtained GPS coordinates for every known burrow and submitted this information to the City of Cape Coral to be put in the city database.
Call (239) 980-2593 to volunteer to help, report a new burrow that isn’t marked, or to report an overgrown burrow that is in need of trimming.
Adopt A Burrow: This is a great way for all to support our efforts to preserve the burrowing owl population in Cape Coral. Please donate what you can. There are various levels of adoption and you can choose one that is right for you. Associated with each level are premiums you will receive. Please visit thewebsite to donate or call (239) 980- 2593 for any amount over $500.
Related Articles
Related
Empower Adventures For The Entire Family!
It’s been years since I had been ziplining. But as my nerves started to kick in on the drive to Empower Adventures zipline course in the peaceful Mobbly Bayou Wilderness Preserve at the north end of Old Tampa Bay, I kept explaining to my kids that it is like riding a...
The Cape Coral Sun Celebrates Its Second Anniversary
With the printing of this July issue, The Cape Coral Sun is excited to announce our continued growth and expansion as we celebrate our second anniversary. Dedicated to bringing the community together with interesting stories about the people, places, and things to do...
The Original 1962 Cape Coral Yacht Club – gone but not easily forgotten
When we conceived the idea for The Cape Coral Sun two years ago, we envisioned a publication that would celebrate the past, present, and future of Southwest Florida’s largest city. And even though our history is very short, we nevertheless have a few landmark...
