In Search of Barred Owls

This past week I camped at Fort De Soto Park. All week I found surprisingly few birds on North Beach so I had to work harder for relatively few shots. Still, the weather was comfortable and it was good exercise to walk up and down the beach each day.

I also visited the regular hotspots for migrating birds. They haven’t arrived yet. Everything is quiet with resident Yellow-rumped Warblers and Palm Warblers having the place all to themselves. That should change mid-April.

Saturday morning I packed up the camper van and headed north to John C. Chesnut Sr. Park in Palm Harbor. This park is widely known for being the home of Barred Owls. They can be found by walking the boardwalk that takes you through the woods along Lake Tarpon. It’s dark in the woods so I decided to break out my new flash. I rarely use flash but it is a valuable tool under certain conditions. I typically use it either in dark woods (like this particular outing) to keep ISOs from keeping too high, or where I think a little pop of light might be needed to fill harsh shadows.

It’s important to note that there are some limits to how flash should be used to be in compliance with Audubon’s Guide to Ethical Bird Photography. Per these guidelines:

• Use flash sparingly (if at all), as a supplement to natural light. Avoid the use of flash on nocturnal birds (e.g., owls, nightjars) at night, as it may temporarily limit their ability to hunt for food or avoid obstacles.

• Be cautious with remotely triggered cameras. Setting a trap around a fresh kill or cache is generally acceptable, but supplying bait or other lure in order to attract an animal is not. Never use direct flash, which may temporarily blind owls; a flash with a filter that lets only infrared light through is acceptable.

The last time I used a flash was at this very same park. On that trip I actually broke my flash. I opened my truck door and it must have hit the ground at just the right angle because it completely smashed. It was a Nikon Speedlight that I paid a ridiculous amount of money for several years ago. Because I rarely used it, I wanted to replace it with a cheaper option. I headed to a local camera store and picked up a Godox V1. It’s a really nice flash that I quickly learned to use via a YouTube tutorial. I also purchased a MagMod MagBeam Wildlife Kit to amplify and direct the light. The MagBeam affixes to the flash head via magnets making it super easy to use.

The boardwalk trail at Chesnut park is about 0.75 miles in length. It’s widely used by local residents for daily exercise. I got quite a bit of unwanted attention from folks commenting on the size and imagined expense of my camera gear. It’s all good-natured, but I probably heard “that sure is a big camera” and “I bet that cost a lot of money” about 50 times that morning. Maybe I’m just getting old and cranky.

About halfway into into the boardwalk I heard a Barred Owl very near my position. Someone nearby spotted it and pointed it out to me. It was perched about 50 feet out from the boardwalk and 25 feet off the ground. It was in a dark area, so I was glad to have brought both my 800mm lens and the flash.

Barred Owl. Nikon Z8 with tripod mounted Nikkor 800mm VR S lens at 1/500 sec, f/6.3, ISO 5600 and flash.

I stayed with the owl for about an hour hoping it would exhibit some behavior, but it didn’t budge from its perch. Occasionally it would look around, and sometimes closed its eyes and seemed to doze off. During that hour I met a lot of nice folks and had the pleasure of showing them the owl.

Barred Owl. I normally prefer photos of birds which show their eyes, but with this owl I think I like this shot better. With the eyes closed the owl does seem at complete peace. Nikon Z8 with tripod mounted Nikkor 800mm VR S lens at 1/640 sec, f/6.3, ISO 3600 and flash.

I eventually left the owl and headed lakeside where there were Common Gallinule, American Coot, and Pied-billed Grebes close to shore feeding on the underwater grass. I laid down to get at eye level and am pretty happy with these shots.

Pied-billed Grebe. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 800mm VR S lens at 1/1250 sec, f/6.3, ISO 1250.

American Coot. Nikon Z8 with tripod Nikkor 800mm VR S lens at 1/1600 sec, f/6.3, ISO 1800.

In addition to birds, deer are everywhere and it’s easy to find gators. Unfortunately though, many local residents also feed the wildlife. They leave birdseed on the boardwalk railings so often that the squirrels actually RUN to you expecting a handout. I saw deer walk up to the boardwalk where a guy was tossing cracked corn and apple slices. It’s just crazy. Signs are posted everywhere that say don’t feed the wildlife but these people either don’t agree with the park rules or don’t think the rules apply to them.

“Feeding Wildlife is Strictly Prohibited.” This sign is posted at the entrance of each boardwalk section. Still, park visitors continue to feed the wildlife blatantly violating a local ordinance.

Squirrel. One of about a thousand squirrels swarming the boardwalk eating bird seed left by visitors. Nikon Z8 with tripod mounted Nikkor 800mm VR S lens at 1/640 sec, f/6.3, ISO 2500.

Deer. This deer is looking right at me, not out of fear, but waiting for me to feed her because other’s have habituated this wild animal into accepting handouts. Nikon Z8 with tripod mounted Nikkor 800mm VR S lens at 1/500 sec, f/6.3, ISO 7200.

Park management really need to get out there and start citing visitors who continue to violate local ordinances and put wildlife at risk. It’s really out of hand and at a level I have not see at any other park - ever.

Next week I’m headed back to De Soto and hoping the birding will be a little better than last week.

Happy birding!