The Sanibel Lighthouse is a well-known migrant trap, so Rich and I stopped there last week on our trip to Southwest Florida. We had just visited the Sanibel beaches, and I wanted to show Rich how the trees can sometimes be filled with bright and colorful migrant birds. But it wasn’t a great morning for migrants. We searched around and found a few, but it was nothing like the fun morning at Fort De Soto a few days earlier. Oh well, we’ll just have to try again next year!
Yellow Warbler
This Yellow Warbler flitted across the path and into a tree in front of us. If you look closely, he has a little green insect in his mouth.
Painted Bunting Greenie
High up in the trees, I caught sight of some small movements. This bird was literally straight over my head. Thank goodness for my tripod as I aimed the Beast high up. It was a Painted Bunting “greenie”, enjoying a berry.
Prothonotary Warbler
You’d think this yellow Prothonotary Warbler would be easy to spot, but he blended in really well to the vegetation. I only saw him because he moved. I think I’ve only photographed a Prothonotary once before, at the Circle B Bar Reserve during fall migration.
Red-bellied Woodpecker
This Red-bellied Woodpecker hopped into a nearby tree and looked at me. She was busy gathering food for the squawking babies that I could hear nearby. She reminded me that while migration was passing its peak time, the fun of Florida bird photography will continue as the local birds raise their babies over the next few months. :)
Rich and I visited Sanibel Island last week on our trip to Cape Coral to see Burrowing Owls. I’ve always heard how beautiful the Sanibel beaches are, and how great the shelling is there. There were shells, and lots of people out in the early morning scouring the piles of shells to find the perfect ones.
Sanibel Seashells
I took a few quick pictures of the shells but was quickly distracted by the birds. ;-) I spotted a few shorebirds, Sanderlings and Black-bellied Plovers coming into their breeding plumage. Terns flew by, giving me nice opportunities for flight shots.
Royal Tern in Flight
As we meandered down the beach, we came across a colony of nesting Least Terns. These tiny birds are such fun to photograph in their springtime courtship displays!
Shorebirds in Flight – Least Terns, Royal Terns, Sandwich Terns, and a Laughing Gull
Least Tern courtship is all about the fish. Males fly out over the ocean and grab tiny fish from the water. They bring the fish back and present them to a prospective mate. It’s like a birdie way of saying, “will you marry me?” I had to laugh as one bird showed off his fish to a wooden decoy placed in the roped-off nesting area.
Will You Marry Me?
I’ve never had much luck with Least Tern flight shots. On this particular morning, opportunities abounded as the colony repeatedly spooked and took to the air. As the birds returned to the beach, they often came in with fish…
Least Tern in Flight
One of the females accepted the male’s proposals. He flew in with an exceptional fish, and he danced it in front of the female’s face for a couple of minutes. Then she accepted him. I think it’s safe to say that we’ll have baby terns on Sanibel in a month or so!
For years I’ve been wanting to visit Cape Coral during Burrowing Owl nesting season. Cape Coral has the largest population of breeding Burrowing Owls in Florida. I’ve enjoyed photographing Burrowing Owls in the past, both in Central Florida and at Brian Piccolo Park in southeast Florida. The attraction of Cape Coral is the large number of nests. While I’d heard that it would be easy to find owls, it surprised me just how easy. Rich and I had a fun afternoon of driving around, looking for burrows, and then photographing one nest in gorgeous golden afternoon light.
Burrowing Owl at Burrow
The Burrowing Owl is one of the smallest owls, and it’s the only one that nests underground. The above photo shows an adult owl just outside the burrow, which can extend 10 feet underground. All the known burrows in Cape Coral are marked with PVC pipe and little crosses. When we first drove into town, I started saying “there’s one! There’s another one! Wow, they’re all over!” Rich got to be a very good owl-spotter. Thanks, honey! :)
Burrowing Owl Family with Large Babies
The birds begin to breed in February, and babies come out of the burrows starting in April. Before the babies hatch, the dad usually stands watch outside the burrow while Mom incubates below. The best nests to photograph are the ones with babies. There’s never a dull moment with a bunch of young ones to feed!
Burrowing Owl Parent and Chick
As the afternoon light improved, I settled down by a nest with (I thought) two babies. Many of the well-photographed burrows are now empty due to too much love from humans, so I was careful to approach quietly, sit still, use my Beast, and not stay as long as I really wanted to. :) By sitting low to the ground, you get a beautiful blurred background and wonderful portraits of these fun birds.
The parents sit close by, watching carefully over their little family. Dad sat on a nearby cross and Mom alternated between perching above the nest and standing outside the burrow. She looked tired – raising a family takes a lot of energy!
Burrowing Owl – Tired Mommy
When I first spotted the nest, I thought there were two babies in it. Then a surprise popped out of the burrow…three babies! The two younger babies stood begging for dinner while the older baby ran around stretching his wings. He did these little hop-skip-jumps that were just adorable. Look at the pin feathers on his wings!
Burrowing Owlet Stretching His Wings
The little owls made raspy crying noises every time the parents moved. They clearly wanted some food. The parents ignored the begging and the babies eventually gave up and ate whatever tasty morsel Dad had left at the entrance of the burrow. I could see them nibbling, although thankfully, I couldn’t see on what!
The babies make it very clear to Mom when they are hungry…
Burrowing Owlet Begging for Food
…and if Mom doesn’t respond, the babies can be a little vicious. Look at how this baby is trying to stab Mommy in the eye! Mom just sat there and took it.
Not the Nicest Little Owlet
The gorgeous afternoon light got sweeter and sweeter, and the surprises weren’t over for the evening. Two more little owlets made an appearance of the burrow, bringing the total to five babies. I sat mesmerized, sometimes forgetting to hit the shutter button, as I watched the nightly routine of these birds. Somehow I managed to squeeze Mom and all 5 babies into the frame at one point…but getting everybody to look at the camera at the same time was too much to ask!
Burrowing Owl Mom and her Five Babies
The smallest chick spent the least amount of time outside the burrow. He came out, walked a few steps into the nearby grass, and took a nap.
Sleepy Smallest Owlet
The people of Cape Coral are very proud of their owls, and as I packed up my gear, I chatted with several locals about the owlets and the nest. It was such a fun afternoon! I look forward to going back another year, maybe a week or two earlier to catch the babies when they are smaller.
