an amazing trip...tiny owls

Shame on me for not posting sooner. I had a much-needed vacation to the Florida Keys and the time before that and since then has been total chaos. I have so many things I want to write about from my trip, but where to start? I don't have enough time to give each one enough attention at the moment, so I will have to choose... my owl sighting! I have been going to the Florida Keys every year for over 20 years and have been fortunate enough to see a vast array of different animals. However, not until this trip did I even think about, or know about, the presence of owls in the Keys. While shopping for some jewelry, which I will get to in another post, I was talking to one of the saleswomen about my work with owls here in CT. Then she gave me a little nugget of information that made my day, maybe my week. Apparently there are burrowing owl nests in several areas in a place called Key Colony Beach, where I used to stay with my family when I was younger. So I informed my sister that we were going "owl hunting" later that day, and every day for the rest of the vacation until I spotted some of these little guys! She loves animals, too, but I could tell she hoped we found them sooner than later! After trying for two afternoons at the place where the saleslady told us they nested, we realized there was another nest down the street (I didn't have to try too hard, as there was a sign stating "Owls' nest, Please do not disturb"). So on the third afternoon, we walked slowly down the street, and in the vacant lot, close to the sign, my sister stopped abruptly. "Shh, there's one!" she whispered loudly. I got out my camera, hoping that the digital zoom would do the job. It was so tiny, even smaller than my saw-whet owl, Lefty at the nature center. I couldn't believe it. I was like a child inside, wanting to squeal and jump up and down. Then we saw a smaller one come out of the burrow behind the first owl. I'm not sure exactly how it works, but they were coming out of a nest that apparently was made of a PVC pipe at the opening. I think this is done for the owls so their burrows won't collapse. We stayed for several minutes, whispering to the owls about how beautiful and special they were, and silently snapping pictures. The owls were pretty still, just moving their heads back and forth like little toys. They were absolutely beautiful, amazing, and I can't believe I had the luck to see them in their own habitat. If you haven't already, see the movie HOOT, which is all about these little guys! It's based on the book by the same name by Carl Hiassen. Worth a watch and a read. Thanks to those little owls for making my day.