Detour - The Owl Tunnels
Marco Island is home to a group of residents that are unique and altogether unexpected.
These locals live not in the city’s air-conditioned condos, hotels and luxury suburban homes but in it’s vacant lots, front lawns and intentionally designed clearings.
We of course, are referring to the small, intelligent and undeniably exceptional - Florida Burrowing Owl.
Audio***
it's Mid Day - as we drive around Marco Island - we’re searching around houses, vacant lots and clearings for active active Burroughs.
My top priority is to see and learn about these little guys in a safe way, so I’m driving well below the speed limit because they tend to hunt near the ground - sometimes during the day - and accidents can and do happen in this neighborhood we’re driving through.
A really nice local took me around here about a week ago and we didn’t see any owls in the burrows we found…
But after our failed excursion I knew I had to come back and learn a bit more about these fascinating little guys in person ….
Nothing yet…
In a hole in the ground there lived….an owl. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, not yet a dry, bare, sandy
hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was an owl-hole, and that means comfort…
Athene Cunicularia Floridana - or the Florida Burrowing Owl … is 9 inches and 5 ounces of wonderful oddity, only slightly smaller than their darkly pigmented western burrowing counterpart.
About the size of a water bottle when fully grown, these unique owls are a distinct non-migratory species that actively disprove the image many conjure up when asked the think of the characteristics… of … an … “owl”.
Many things differentiate the Florida Burrowing Owl from other Owl species, but perhaps the most notable characteristic is where they choose to make their home.
In place of trees, Burrowing owls prefer … well …. Burrowing…
Where other burrowing owls prefer to reside in previously dug holes - by tortoises, ground squirrels or other local animals …. The Florida Burrowing owl stands out by often digging their own homes ….
Which is a large statement because … These burrows can expend 4 to 10 feet underground….
With all the work that goes into producing such a home, the question then has to be asked , what - if any advantages - come from nesting underground?
There are several,
First, when it’s hot outside - as it often is in Florida, the underground chambers help regulate a constant, livable temperature.
Second, enclosed space make the CO2 levels dangerously high but these wonderful owls have adapted an increased resistance to buildup of CO2.
Third, it’s an effective defense against predators, namely badgers snakes, other owls, bobcats and DOMESTIC HOUSE CATS!
Traditionally, owl burrows would be located in the dry fire-maintained prairies of central and southern Florida ….
But, forestation, farming, new settlements and general human intervention have pushed owl population towards the coasts and more populated areas…
Marco Island, happens to be one of these locations…
So now, the Florida Burrowing Owl is commonly seen outside it’s home, in front of or otherwise nearby the homes of other human Florida residents …
More than anything, this seems to be a community well aware of the presence of these burrowing owls….
There are signs displaying information about owl safely scattered throughout this neighborhood
And whenever theirs a burrow, there’s a very clear marked square of four wooden posts and rope that designated the space and home to current or potential owls…
I’ve gotten out of my van a few times to get a closer look at some of these Burroughs and so far, no luck…
But their absolutely is no lack of protected Burroughs so we’ll keep driving slow and looking …
“Love is like the wind, you can't see it but you can feel it.”
― Nicholas Sparks, A Walk to Remember
The Florida Burrowing Owl mates for life ….
And both parents care for their young for roughly 12 weeks after the hatching ….
In another surprising benefit of burrow living, Food can be stored underground and fed to their young until they emerge from the Burroughs into the bright wide world…
“You were born with wings, why prefer to crawl through life?”
― Rumi
Although they do fly, they are considered to be less efficient flyers than other species of owls ,,,, simply because, they don’t overly rely on flight to servive…
They will prey on insects, invertebrates and a vast array of small mammals… and - in another unique quirk - are far more active during the day than their nocturnal counterparts.
To hunt their vast menu of prey they often hover shortly or leap towards their pray - never venturing too far above the ground.
Occasionally, it will run like a little human to get it’s meal …
Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.
- Buddha
The Florida Burrowing owl has sandy brown plumage, providing camouflage from potential predators.
It lacks the ear tufts found in more familiar woodland owls, boasts bright yellow eyes, unusually stilt - like long legs, and a furrowed lightly colored unibrow that tends to give the impression a disapproving parental figure or - more simply stated - a tiny tiny angry owl.
I quietly snuck back to my car, because I forgot my microphone, but I stumbled across a single owl, standing outside it’s Burrough… after about 30 minutes of driving around…
After taking some pictures and videos with my telephoto lens from a respectable distance , I was able to take a seat and get a good look…
First impressions, I was expecting them to be small but they are incredibly tiny …
I’m far away, but this owl doesn’t seem to mind my being here…
His Burrough is in a vacant lot between two nice residential houses…
Sorry, it’s taking me a second to adjust to seeing an owl, on the ground, in broad daylight, in a suburban area….
This cohabitation… would be interesting to look into - how does this work?
To answer this question, let’s set back the clock ….
Back in 1962, developers bought the island that would eventually become the City of Marco Island in 1997, 35 years later.
During that period, thousands upon thousands of family homes, condo units, along with many golf courses and luxury hotels that come with those homes were built … This process occurred with little to no consideration for burrowing owl habitat …
In those days, in contrast to Modern Marco Island - as well soon find out - the area was not owl friendly …
Even when a permit to remove owl burrows for further construction was granted, no to little requirements were met. And in many cases actively occupied Burroughs were bulldozed in the name of progress.
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Thank you to everyone that decorated perches for the owls on Burrow Buddies Day! The owls love the upgrades!
Burrowing Owls of Marco Island Facebook page
Luckily for our small owl friends, change surfaced when, an environmental specialist employed by newly incorporated city, Nancy Richie, runs around to mark the nearly 100 found burrows located in empty lots throughout the city
With her own funds and in her own time, Nancy designates protected wildlife areas around each burrow…
In time a small circle of volunteers help find new burrows while upkeeping and protecting current ones…
As awareness spread and regulation increased, property owners could still develop their lots but they now had to wait until the end of the nesting season, AFTER the chicks and adults had dispersed.
The spark was lit to protect these little guys, and in time, the Owl Watch, a program led by Audubon of the Western Everglades (AWE), was formed…
We are finally getting some rain and the owls are excited this morning!
Burrowing Owls of Marco Island Facebook page, the caption below a picture of an owl enjoying the Florida rain
This owl is looking straight at me….
But hasn’t moved physicaly sense I’ve been here….
One thing is certain, I’m not the first and definitively won’t be the last human this owl is in close contact with…
It’s the logistics of everything that still confuse me, how does this situation work?
Start an entrance simply by digging a hole 8-12 inches deep with a hand trowel or small shovel at a 45 degree angle.
Pile the dirt you dig out just outside the hole.
Install a wooden T-perch to get the owls attention
Simple Instructions for digging a starter burrow for the Cape Coral friends for wildlife -
The conservation efforts are worth taking a brief look into:
Owl watch is a volunteer-based project founded to help monitor and protect the Burrowing Owls of Marco Island, Florida.
Each volunteer is trained to handle one or all of three responsibilities:
1 - Monitorization:
Over 76 volunteers actively monitor 366 burrow sites during nesting season in Marco Island.
That means, surveying for adult owls, chicks, banded owls, new burrows, and violations which threaten the owls success.
2. Research -
They support the research done to better understand burrowing owl space use, population genetics, and nesting site selection
- maintenance
Finally, they maintain posting perches and PVC and rope fencing around new Burroughs and maintain them throughout the year
It’s nice to know that our little owl friends have people looking out for them…
Audio *
I’m about to head out - I don’t want to stress this little guy out too much, but I have two thoughts before I get back in the van …
1 . I think it’s wonderful the amount of positive attention these owls are getting from the Marco Island community… signs are posted everywhere, burrows are ropped off, people seem to be keeping there distance…
I think it’s a good thing, that’s happening I respect all the conservation efforts I just hope it’s sustainable, for both parties…
Alright, goodbye little owl friend!
The City Council of Marco Island approved an agreement with Audubon and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to actually pay homeowners for successful starter burrows - $250 incentive for each year a property owner keeps a potentially occupied starter burrow.
The general consensus for long term sustainability of cohabitation seems to be one of cautious optimism - the owls - as evidenced by our owl friend earlier - seem to be tolerant - if only we keep giving them enough space, the proper respect and attention things seem to be looking up.
In a world where wildlife seems to be ever retreating, the presence of the Florida Burrowing Owls starting to thrive in Marco Island and beyond serves as a reminder of both what was and what could be…
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Marco Island is home to certain residents that are unique and altogether unexpected.
This local lives not in the city’s air-conditioned condos, hotels and suburban homes but in it’s vacant lots, front lawns and small clearings.
It’s a neighbor, an oddity, a friend, a marvel, a responsibility …
It’s The Florida Burrowing Owl - slowly building a life in Marco Island and beyond