Episode published: Friday 01/16/2026
Michael: Hi everyone, welcome to a new episode of Every Day is Groundhog Day (Except for the Days When It's Not), the only podcast devoted to the holiday, Groundhog Day. I'm your host, Michael, the owner of countdowntogroundhogday.com. Hope you enjoyed learning about Buckeye Chuck, the groundhog who has been providing predictions since the 1970s, in our last episode. For today's show, we're talking about Athene, a burrowing owl mascot who has been providing a Groundhog Day - sorry, Ground OWL Day - prediction for a little less time. Athene started providing predictions in 2019, and this year will be the eighth annual Ground Owl Day celebration. To learn about Athene and Ground Owl Day, I spoke to Janet Windisch, the publicist for CCFW, the Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife, who puts on the event every year. Here's the interview.
Michael: Since 2019, an event called Ground Owl Day has been held in Cape Coral, Florida. At this celebration, a burrowing owl named Athene makes a weather prediction. Today, I'm speaking with Janet Windisch, the publicist for the Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife, the organization which puts on this annual event. Welcome, Janet.
Janet Windisch: Hi there.
Michael: So, thanks for being with me today. I want to talk about Athene. But could you give a little bit of information about what the Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife is, first?
Janet Windisch: Sure. Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife is an all-volunteer organization. We're dedicated to preserving the wildlife that lives in Cape Coral, and the wildlife habitat here, and also to educate the community about the wildlife resources. The really interesting thing about Cape Coral is that it is home to almost 7,000 burrowing owls. Burrowing owls are a threatened species in the state of Florida because of habitat loss, but through a series of unusual events, these burrowing owls have found Cape Coral to be their home. So, our organization is really working on conservation efforts to preserve the owls and other wildlife in Cape Coral.
Michael: So, how long has the organization existed?
Janet Windisch: Sure. We started in 2001 when some local residents started to get together and recognize these adorable owls and realized that there was a lot of dangers, there's a lot of threats to them, so they really wanted to improve the conservation efforts. At that time, the city wasn't really focusing on the owls. No one really knew what the regulations were. So, we really formed this organization, got the city on board, recognizing how important it is to provide conservation efforts for the owls, and the organization has grown to the point now where we've put in about 12,000 hours this year in volunteer efforts.
Michael: Oh, wow. So, like, how many volunteers do you have, roughly?
Janet Windisch: We've got 500 members. We've got a couple hundred volunteers. Some volunteer all year round, but we have one big event in February, the Burrowing Owl Festival, and there, we need 150 to 200 volunteers just to put that event on.
Michael: So, I'm assuming that the burrowing owl actually does burrow into the ground. Could you talk a little bit about the burrowing owl and what makes it special?
Janet Windisch: So, the burrowing owl is the only species of owl that lives in the ground. One of the reasons they like Cape Coral is because when Cape Coral was developed, all the vegetation was knocked down, the canals were dug, because there's hundreds of miles of canal shoreline in Cape Coral, and what was left is wide open spaces with sandy soil. That's sort of prairie-like, and that's the habitat that owls like. So, when an owl finds its mate, they will dig a hole in the ground. It's really interesting. And it's very sandy, so it's easy for these owls to dig holes in the ground. So, like I said, there's 7,000 of these little guys in Cape Coral. Our organization goes out and counts them all one weekend each year. They're in the neighborhoods, they're in the median strips, they're in school grounds, they're in the library parking lot. They're adorable, they're in our neighborhoods, and people love them. It's actually something that makes Cape Coral unique because we have the highest population of burrowing owls in the state. The other interesting thing is that their burrows are in the ground, like I said, they're in the neighborhoods, and so you have to be careful not to run over them. Sometimes people park their cars. And so, one of the things that we do is we mark them; we have little PVC pipes that we put, marking off about 10 feet from each burrow because that's the state-described distance that you need to stay away from the burrows. We mark them, so when you drive around Cape Coral, you see all these white pipes all over the place. When you first move here, you're like, 'What are these things?' But now we realize that those white pipes are where the owls live.
Michael: Oh, wow. So, could we talk a little bit about Ground Owl Day now? I believe, as I said, 2019 was the first one. But how did the event come about? What was the idea behind it? How has it grown? Things like that.
Janet Windisch: Yeah. So, it's just sort of a little fun celebration of the burrowing owls, right? That's our twist on Ground Owl Day. In the beginning, the mayor at the time got all dressed up with a top hat, and he announced whether the owl saw his shadow. So, it's a celebration for the city because people just love the owls, and the other thing is that Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife has a big event in February, end of February - this year it'll be February 28th, 2026 - and it's a way to sort of get the community sort of aware of the owls and enthused about the upcoming Burrowing Owl Festival. One big thing here is that everybody wears their burrowing owl T-shirts (I'm wearing my burrowing owl T-shirt now), so also, this is where we introduce our new burrowing owl garb for the year. It's got the new pictures on it, so we also sell our merchandise, and people start stacking up on their burrowing owl T-shirts and paraphernalia.
Michael: Okay. You said there was an event at the end of February. What is that called?
Janet Windisch: The Burrowing Owl Festival. This is our big fundraiser for the year; we attract thousands of people. It's a wildlife exposition, so there's lots of conservation organizations teaching, having exhibits about the wildlife, as well as arts and crafts, and an auction, and you know, vendors and food and music.
Michael: Okay. So, on Ground Owl Day, is it mainly just Athene that comes out and does the prediction? Is that the primary part of the day? Or are there also activities and things on that day as well? Or is that more for the festival at the end of the month?
Janet Windisch: Right. So, on Ground Owl Day, we go to a local park that has a lot of burrowing owls, and we have just a short ceremony where there's a few speeches, we invite city councilmen and the mayor, and so some of these dignitaries come out. We have it emceed by the local news reporter. So, it's just a couple of minutes, and then Athene, our mascot, is there, and when it's time, she whispers in the ear of the emcee whether or not she sees her shadow. That's our celebration. The other thing that happens is that there's a lot of burrowing owls at this park, so afterwards, folks go out and check out the owls, and the volunteers tell them a little bit about it. And then, all the kids line up to get their picture taken with Athene, the mascot.
Michael: Okay. So, I was going to ask if you've, like, brought burrowing owls, but it sounds like you don't have to. They're just there at the park or just in general in Cape Coral. So, how many people would you say generally show up for Athene's prediction?
Janet Windisch: I think we get a couple hundred people.
Michael: Oh, wow.
Janet Windisch: Last year was on a weekend, so I think we probably got maybe more people because kids were able to come because they weren't at school.
Michael: Okay. So, it does always correspond with Groundhog Day? You don't, like, move it to a weekend or anything? It always takes place on the actual holiday itself, February 2nd.
Janet Windisch: It's always February 2nd.
Michael: So, Athene is a mascot, right? A person dressed as an owl.
Janet Windisch: Yes. And by the way, the name Athene comes from the scientific name for burrowing owl. The scientific name for the burrowing owl is Athene cunicularia, that's where we got the name from.
Michael: Okay, great. So, when Athene predicts a long winter or an early spring, what kind of weather are we talking about? I know there's a difference between, as I said, I'm in New Jersey, and you're in Florida, so there's probably a bit of a difference as far as what cold and warm is.
Janet Windisch: Well, that's the funny thing about it, because we don't really get winter down here. We're in Southwest Florida, so we're in the warm spot. It sort of doesn't really matter. I mean, the weather is beautiful, we're living in paradise. So, that's sort of the funny thing about this, because it doesn't really make sense to think about a long winter down here.
Michael: Okay. I think those are largely the questions I had. Is there anything else you wanted to talk about or mention?
Janet Windisch: I don't think so. The only thing I wanted to mention is that this is the eighth annual, in 2026. So, that might mean it started in 2018. Oh, you're right. Your date is correct of the first year.
Michael: Yeah, I did go back and try to find all of the predictions over the years, and I go back to 2019. So, it's possible I missed something. Did you do it during 2021? 2021 is where, you know, a lot of people either just went virtual or maybe didn't have a celebration, because 2020 was right before, everything started locking down. But I think I saw one for 2021 as well.
Janet Windisch: As far as I know, we did. I wasn't here at that time, but yeah.
Michael: Okay. So, how long have you been with the organization?
Janet Windisch: About three years. I moved down here and quickly got involved in Friends of Wildlife because I love birding, and I love the outdoors, and it's a great organization. It's a great way to meet people and have an impact.
Michael: Did you have any connection to Groundhog Day before you started with the organization and got involved with this? Was it something you thought about or enjoyed?
Janet Windisch: Well, so I lived in Philadelphia for many years, and that's not too far from Punxsutawney. I think we have some relatives who are from Punxsutawney. So, you know, you hear about it when you live up north because you're always hoping that spring's coming soon. So, that's my familiarity with Groundhog Day.
Michael: Okay. Did you say the mayor is generally there, or has been there?
Janet Windisch: It depends on his schedule. He was not there last year, so I'm not quite sure. It's a little bit early for us to know whether the mayor will be there. But we invite the mayor and city council, and we usually get a few dignitaries there.
Michael: Okay. And it's at Pelican Baseball Complex, is that where it always is? You said it like was a park?
Janet Windisch: Yeah, so we chose this park, there's a baseball field there, but we chose this park because there's a lot of burrowing owls at this place. They're wild animals, and they're a threatened species, so we can't touch them, we don't move them, we don't catch them and bring them to events or anything like that. We go to them. So, this is just a great location because there's probably 20 or 30 burrows on this property. So, we go to them.
Michael: As you said, this year is going to be the eighth annual event. I saw that it's already been announced, I believe, on your website. Is there anything about this year that will be different or special? Or expected to be the same as the previous years?
Janet Windisch: Yeah, so our event is a pretty simple, straightforward event. So yeah, it will be similar to previous years. Just trying to raise awareness of the owls in Cape Coral and rallying folks around this beautiful bird, and getting ready for the Burrowing Owl Festival.
Michael: Okay. I think that's largely all I had, again, unless there's anything else you wanted to mention.
Janet Windisch: I would just give a pitch for Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife. We're an all-volunteer organization. One of our primary activities is to raise money to purchase land in Cape Coral for the wildlife here; we have burrowing owls and gopher tortoises. Development is happening really quickly in Cape Coral, and so we are trying to preserve as much land as we can from development. So, we're a great organization. Check out our website, make a donation, come to the Burrowing Owl Festival, February 28, 2026. Come to the Burrowing Owl Festival, February 28th, 2026.
Michael: Thanks so much for speaking with me today, Janet, and talking about Athene and Ground Owl Day and the Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife.
Janet Windisch: Thank you very much.
Michael: And that's the interview. Thanks to Janet Windisch for speaking with me about Athene. If you're in the area, stop by Pelican Baseball Complex on February 2nd at 10:00 a.m. If you want to help the CCFW in their mission to help the burrowing owls and other wildlife of Cape Coral, you can donate to them. I'll include a link in the show notes. Music for this show was written by the excellent Breakmaster Cylinder. Show artwork is by Tom Mike Hill. Transcripts are provided by Aveline Malek. If you want to learn more about Groundhog Day, visit countdowntogroundhogday.com. Any feedback or voice messages about the show can be sent to podcast@countdowntogroundhogday.com. Talk to you next time!
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Transcribed by Aveline Malek.