In Search of Burrowing Owls
May 20, 2017 - Backroads birding in search of my Burrowing Owl family (that I didn't find).
Lake County Backroads
 | Description | You never know what you may find when you wander on the backroads. |
| Photography Advice | Take any lens and go exploring! |
| When to Go | |
| Species Photographed (9) | American Kestrel, Burrowing Owl, Cattle Egret, Common Ground-Dove, Common Nighthawk, Eastern Towhee, Loggerhead Shrike, Northern Bobwhite, Red-bellied Woodpecker |
| Website | None |
| eBird | None |
| Google Map | None |
| Trail Map | None |
My Sunset Project
July 26, 2015 - For over a year, I visited the backroads to complete a "sunset project" and study light. It's amazing how each photograph is different...
Sunrise and A Gopher Tortoise!
June 10, 2014 - The backroads of Lake County make for beautiful sunrises. You never know what you'll find out there, like this tiny gopher tortoise!
We’ll Never Know – Burrowing Owl Nest Abandoned
June 8, 2014 - We'll never know what happened to our local Burrowing Owl family. The adults have abandoned the burrow and the babies never emerged. :(
Meet My Friend Bob – Bobwhite!
June 2, 2014 - A Northern Bobwhite surprised me with his sudden appearance, and he sang for my camera as he let me get nice close-up shots! Bob, Bob White!
Summer Sunset and a Common Night Hawk
May 15, 2014 - Summer sunsets along the back roads of Florida are fun, especially when the Common Nighthawks fly in circles over your head!
A Shrike and a Kestrel
September 25, 2013 - Birding is starting to pick up again after a long hot summer. The first day of fall was officially on September 22, although temperatures in Florida continue well into the upper 80s and 90s. But there’s a hope in sight: the lows are forecast to dip into the 60s this week! I’ve been working crazy […]
Week Five: Burrowing Owls Fly Off!
July 10, 2013 - This is my last post on my Burrowing Owl nest-watching this spring. I was so lucky to get to monitor the growth of a family of five (reduced to four) Burrowing Owls. On my last visit, they waved goodbye and flew off… The oldest two babies were pretty proficient fliers. They flew off pretty early in […]
Week Four: Burrowing Owls Stretching their Wings
July 8, 2013 - My Week Four visit to my Burrowing Owl nest was short and sweet. I got there around 8:30 in the morning, and the owls were sleepy and not very active. They were adorable as they posed at their burrow, but they didn’t do much. Their actions made me suspect that they were already flight-worthy, though… […]
Week Three: Silly Burrowing Owl Videos
July 6, 2013 - In my last post about the Burrowing Owls I wrote that my still shots do not best represent the antics of the owlets. The stills capture expressions pretty well, but to really explain how it is that I can sit watching these birds for hours on end, I need video. Luckily my DSLR has video, […]
Week Two: Breakfast Time for the Baby Burrowing Owls
July 4, 2013 - This post continues my story of the baby Burrowing Owls that I observed this spring. I hope you’re not getting tired of cute little owlets! On my previous visits to the burrow, I was a little surprised not to see food being brought in for the owlets. Surely they were not feeding themselves yet, as […]
Week Two: Burrowing Owlets Are Six Days Older
July 2, 2013 - I returned to my Burrowing Owl nest six days after first seeing Burrowing Owlets. It’s amazing how fast they grow! On my first visit, I thought I saw five babies. But they didn’t stay above ground for very long, so I only photographed three. On this second visit, I was able to confirm that there […]
Week One: First Glimpses of the Burrowing Owl Family
June 30, 2013 - This spring I had the awesome opportunity to regularly observe a Burrowing Owl family. For the next few blog posts, I’ll share images of the babies as they ventured out of the burrow and learned how to fly! For weeks I went by to check on the birds, finding nothing but Mom or Dad sitting […]
Sunrise and a Breeze
June 2, 2013 - A few weeks ago, I was driving to a morning photography adventure and I happened to notice a great sunrise in my side mirror. I wasn’t in a hurry, so I pulled over and got the shot. It was a foggy morning, and I hadn’t expected the sunrise to be at all interesting. But the […]
Nighthawks and a Gorgeous Sunset
May 25, 2013 - With our Florida rainy season in full swing, the clouds of our afternoon thunderstorms provide great opportunities for sunset pictures. One afternoon recently I came home, saw the clouds on the horizon, grabbed the camera, and drove out to some grassy fields where I knew I’d have a clear view of the horizon for sunset. […]
Sunshine After Rain
May 7, 2013 - It rained all week last week. We need the rain, but we need it a little bit at a time. Not three inches a day for five days in a row! On Friday afternoon, I was so sick of staying inside. We had a break in the showers, so I headed out to see if […]
More Common Nighthawks
April 30, 2013 - A few weeks ago I was excited to find my first Common Nighthawk after work one night. I went back to look for more, and I found them! Common Nighthawks are sometimes hard to find. They are most active at night, so during the day when I’d normally see them, they are usually asleep in […]
Glimpses of a Disappearing Florida
April 20, 2013 - I’m dismayed by the recent development in our area. Where pine trees once covered the land, yet another development is going in. Where Sandhill Cranes once flew over John’s Lake, signs now stand advertising multi-million dollar lakefront homes. Scenic drives are cluttered by cookie-cutter stucco houses. The Orlando area is expanding, and as it expands […]
Eyes on You
June 2, 2012 - I was very excited to have an unexpected opportunity to photograph a Burrowing Owl family last weekend. It was a rainy morning, thanks to Tropical Storm Beryl. I found the adult owls sitting on fenceposts, and several chicks were sitting on the burrow beneath. How fun! They are so small and cute! I’ve never seen […]