Meet the Neighbors
Photo Provided by The Lee County VCB
Take a walk on Cape Coral’ s wild side.
You will meet many friendly neighbors throughout Southwest Florida— Cape residents come in all shapes and sizes with preferred habitats.
Take the diminutive, feathery families keeping watch over their burrows in vacant lots. They’ re Florida burrowing owls, and they are so comfortable in the Cape that they have been recognized as the city’ s official bird. Don’ t be surprised to see these pint-sized, long-legged owls and their chicks perched near their burrows, looking at you inquisitively.
With a generous amount of parks, green space, waterways and undeveloped land in our communities, wildlife thrives here. While we aim to treat these neighbors respectfully, do not feed wildlife as pets or harass them. Keep a cordial distance for their safety— and yours.
Finding an owl perched on your mailbox, an armadillo rooting in your garden or a flock of ibises pecking around the yard can be startling for newcomers more accustomed to robins and squirrels, so here’ s a quick introduction to a few wildlife species that you’ re likely to encounter in and around Cape Coral.
Landlubbers
Photo Provided by The Lee County VCB
Burrowing owl: These birds, which dwell underground, are protected under state and federal law. They are a common sight, especially in the springtime when they are active during nesting season. You may see chicks clustered around their burrow. They do not migrate; they are year-round residents. Cape Coral has the largest population in Florida: about 2,500 documented burrows. You can learn more about these little raptors from the Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife and at the annual Burrowing Owl Festival held each February.
Gopher tortoise: Gopher tortoises also live in the ground in extensive networks of burrows. Like their sea turtle relatives,“ gophers” are a protected species. Unlike their marine cousins, they have high-domed shells and don’ t take to swimming. They usually can be spotted grazing on grasses and other plants.
Ibis: You may see flocks of these longlegged, white birds moving through neighborhoods, busily prodding the grass with their long, curved, orange bills. People sometimes confuse them with other longlegged, white birds, especially cattle egrets, snowy egrets and the larger common egrets.
Water Dwellers
Alligator: Many residents live here for years without seeing an alligator in the city, but they are abundant in Southwest Florida. Here’ s what you should know about them: Alligators generally won’ t bother people unless they are harassed or fed, but if they’ re disturbed, they can be dangerous— especially during mating and nesting season. Give them some distance; they can move quickly and might consider your pet as dinner. A protected species, they tend to prefer brackish water to saltwater— and they enjoy golf courses, where sun-warmed greens and ponds are inviting habitat.
Photo Provided by The Lee County VCB
Dolphin: The Atlantic bottlenose dolphin is the most common of these cetaceans in our area, and many of them live here full-time. These intelligent animals capecoralchamber. com 66