Barn Owls in the Everglades

In early February, I was down in southwest Florida with family, where we had a house rental on Sanibel island. If you've ever been to Sanibel, you know that there is very little incentive to actually leave the island. Aside from the bird viewing opportunities (including my lifer Short-tailed Hawk!), there is much cycling, shelling, and fishing to be had. I spent much of my time trying to catch a snook, to no avail.

Mid-week, I did actually leave the island, but it was for two good reasons. One, I wanted to try to find my lifer Fulvous Whistling-Duck, which could only be found on the mainland. Two, I wanted to find some Barn Owls, which have some known roosting sites south of Lake Okeechobee in winter. 

I did find the elusive duck. More exciting for me, though, was coming across not only a Barn Owl roost site, but several nest boxes identical to our own. The Barn Owl Box Company, and Mark Browning, have supplied nest boxes to the Everglades Agricultural Area in recent years, for installation in sugar cane fields, where the owls have been effective in controlling rodent populations. The Barn Owls, in return, are thriving.

The Everglades Agricultural Lands are mostly to blame for the ecological degradation in the Everglades as a whole. The "river of grass" that once flowed from Lake Okeechobee to Florida Bay has largely been diverted by dikes and canals, which allows the surprisingly rich soil to be used for sugar cane production. There are few stands of Bald Cypress in this region, which runs on for many, many miles. Only canals and a seemingly desolate landscape are to be found here.

But nature has a way of adapting to insult and degradation. I saw the man in this photo pull a massive bowfin out of the canal. A small ribbon snake basked nearby. Tree swallows swarmed in great numbers overhead. This place was very alive, if you knew where to look. In the seeming barren landscape, every mile or two, were Barn Owl boxes. 

Processing plants belched yellow smoke in the air, but the nest boxes stood proud, undeterred. And these Barn Owl boxes had been subjected to the harshest of environments. Extreme heat and sun. Humidity nearing 100%. The occasional tropical storm. I can't imagine any of our boxes in North Carolina looking quite as weathered as this one.

I was probably trespassing, but I had to see if there was an owl in one of these boxes. As I approached, I heard a terrifying hissing sound, as if a writhing ball of venomous asps had been dropped into Indiana Jones' bed. Yep, Barn Owl!! I stepped back, and took a photo with my 200mm lens. Look closely and you'll see the owl inside.

I took from this encounter many lessons. One, never mess with a defensive Barn Owl. Two, the owls like these boxes, even if they are placed in the most inhospitable places. And finally, the boxes themselves really are indestructible. We made the right choice.