Photographing Owls in Florida: A Guide to Great Horned and Burrowing Owls
- naren
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
If you've ever wanted to photograph wild owls in Florida, you're in better luck than you might think. Florida is one of the most accessible places in North America to find and photograph owls — including the dramatic Great Horned Owl and the unusual, ground-dwelling Burrowing Owl, two species that couldn't look more different from each other.
This guide is built from a single, surprisingly productive day in the field where I photographed both species in completely unexpected locations: a parking lot and a suburban residential neighborhood.
Here's where to find these owls, when to go, what gear to bring, and what to expect when you get there.
Quick Facts for Photographers
Best season: Late winter through early spring (January–April) when Great Horned Owl chicks are visible at the nest.
Best time of day: Early morning for Burrowing Owls; late afternoon and dusk for Great Horned Owls.
Minimum gear: A 400mm equivalent lens; 500–600mm is better for tighter portraits.
Difficulty: Easy to moderate. Both species are findable without hiking or wading.
Where: Cape Coral, FL (Burrowing Owls) and various parking lots and parks across south and central Florida (Great Horned Owls).
Great Horned Owls: Drama in a Parking Lot
My first encounter with Great Horned Owls on this trip was completely accidental. We were driving back at dusk from a separate shoot — photographing Snail Kites — when we spotted a Great Horned Owl being mobbed by a pair of cawing American Crows. That single sighting changed the next day's plans entirely.
The next morning, we tracked the family to — of all places — a parking lot, where a pair of Great Horned Owls had raised three chicks in a nest tree just feet from where people park their cars.
We ended up spending the entire day there. It was that productive.
Where to Find Great Horned Owls in Florida
Great Horned Owls are widespread across Florida and often nest in surprisingly urban locations — parking lots, school yards, golf courses, and city parks. The trick is finding an active nest. A few reliable approaches:
• Check local birding reports. Sites like eBird and local Audubon chapters often log active Great Horned Owl nests during nesting season. A few minutes of research before you go will save you hours in the field.
• Look up at large nest structures. Great Horned Owls don't build their own nests — they take over old hawk or crow nests. Big stick nests high in pines and oaks are good candidates.
• Listen at dawn and dusk. Their classic "hoo-h'HOO-hoo-hoo" call carries surprisingly far. If you hear them, you're close.
What to Expect at the Nest
The mother owl was perched on a branch across from her three chicks, dozing through the warm part of the day. Every few minutes she would wake, check on the chicks, and call to them softly. The chicks — branchers learning to fly — responded by hopping clumsily between branches, attempting short flights, and occasionally tumbling.
If you're patient, you'll see the entire family dynamic play out. The adult male was deeper in the tree and harder to photograph cleanly. His call was noticeably deeper than the female's.
My favorite image of the day is of three chicks together — the largest one appears to be reprimanding the two smaller ones, like an older sibling running an intervention. Wildlife behavior shots like this are gold.
They take patience, but the payoff is an image that tells a story instead of just documenting a bird.
Camera Settings for Great Horned Owls
Shutter speed: 1/500s minimum for perched birds; 1/1600s+ for flight. Chicks branching between perches need higher shutter speeds than you'd think.
Aperture: f/5.6 to f/8 for sharper detail on the bird while keeping background soft.
ISO: Auto-ISO with a ceiling around 6400 if your camera handles it well. Dense canopy means you'll often need to push higher than you'd like.
Focus: Single-point AF on the eye when perched; group or zone AF when the bird is in motion.
Lens: 400mm minimum; 500mm or 600mm preferred. The chicks were 30–50 feet up in a tree, and tighter focal lengths really helped.
Burrowing Owls: The Suburban Surprise
The same day, we started early in the morning chasing the opposite end of the owl spectrum: the small, ground-dwelling Burrowing Owl. Unlike the Great Horned Owl, Burrowing Owls hunt during the day, which makes them one of the easiest owls to photograph in good light.
What I didn't expect was where we'd find them. We pulled into a quiet residential neighborhood, and there — right in someone's front yard — was an active Burrowing Owl burrow, complete with a small wooden sign protecting it.
The whole community has organized to protect these nests, and the result is that you can photograph wild, endangered owls from a few feet away on a public sidewalk.
Where to Find Burrowing Owls in Florida
The single best place to photograph Burrowing Owls in Florida is Cape Coral, on the southwest coast. The city has the largest population of Florida Burrowing Owls in the state — an estimated 1,000+ pairs — and the community actively protects nest sites in residential lawns, vacant lots, and public parks.
Cape Coral Burrowing Owl Festival (typically held in late February): a perfect time to combine sightings with a community event.
Pelican Boulevard and surrounding streets in Cape Coral: drive slowly and look for the small wooden "Owl Burrow" signs in front yards.
Marco Island and Brian Piccolo Park (Cooper City): two other reliable spots.
What Makes Burrowing Owls Special
Burrowing Owls are listed as a Threatened species in Florida, and their populations have been declining for decades. Photographing them comes with responsibility — keep a respectful distance, never approach a burrow on foot, and never use audio playback to call them out. A 500mm lens from across the street is plenty.
Visually, Burrowing Owls are unmistakable. Unlike Great Horned Owls, they have no ear tufts — which gives them a faintly comical, surprised appearance.
They're sometimes called "Howdy Owls" because of the way they bob their heads up and down when they perceive a threat.
The pair I photographed wasn't bobbing — they seemed content soaking in the morning sun, almost certainly because Cape Coral residents have habituated them to gentle human presence.
Camera Settings for Burrowing Owls
Shutter speed: 1/800s or faster. They move their heads constantly.
Aperture: f/5.6 to f/7.1 — wider than for tree owls because they're often closer.
ISO: Usually low (200–800) since you're shooting in direct daylight.
Position: Get low. Burrowing Owls are at ground level. Lying flat on your stomach across the street will yield far more compelling images than shooting from standing height.
Lens: 400–600mm. Cropping from a longer focal length is preferable to approaching.
Planning Your Own Trip
Best Time of Year
February through April is the sweet spot for both species. Great Horned Owl chicks are at the visible-branching stage, and Burrowing Owls are active in their nesting cycle. By summer, vegetation hides Burrowing Owls and Great Horned chicks have fledged.
Where to Base Yourself
If you want both species in one trip, Cape Coral and the surrounding southwest Florida region is your best bet. You can photograph Burrowing Owls in town in the morning and drive to nearby parks or rural areas for Great Horned Owl nest searches in the afternoon. Fort Myers and Naples both offer easy lodging within 30 minutes.
Ethics in the Field
Owls are sensitive animals, especially during nesting season. A few rules I follow and would urge any photographer to follow:
• Never approach a nest closely. Stay at a distance where the birds show no reaction to your presence.
• Never use audio playback to call owls. It causes stress and disrupts territorial behavior.
• Don't share precise nest locations on public social media. Generalize ("southwest Florida") rather than pinning the exact spot.
• If a parent owl changes behavior because of you — alert posture, flying off, vocalizing more — back off. You're too close.
What I Took Home
After a single day chasing owls in Florida, I came home with images of two species I'd never photographed before and a long list of behaviors I want to capture next time. Florida is unusual in how accessible its owls are — you don't need a guide, you don't need permits, and you don't need to hike. You need patience, a long lens, and a willingness to spend a full day in a parking lot or a residential street.
If you're planning your own trip, I'd love to hear how it goes. And if you want to see more of what I captured that day — including a few images that didn't make this post — you can browse the full wildlife collection in the link here.
Cheers!
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