Barn Owl (TX)
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This camera came online March 2nd and went offline August 2nd after the two young owls fledged. Portions of this nesting season from Italy, TX, can be viewed via the movie clips posted below!
| Species: Barn Owl (Tyto alba) |
| Location: Italy, TX |
| Status: Two fledged |
| View comments |
2006 Daily Highlights: |
 
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July
26 - No activity in the
nest box today! Both owlets must be roosting outside. The
young owls should be relatively independent hunters by now--their
parents will stop feeding them very soon if they haven't already. |
 
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July 25 - The young owl roosting
in the box seems to be doing just fine. Here it entertains itself
by playing with what appears to be an old pellet. PLAYING (1.5 min video) |
 
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July 18 - Only one owlet returned to the box today! Soon this one will be out on its own, too. ONE RETURNS (30 sec video) |
 
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July 13 - It's the start of
another slow, hot day in the nest box. This owl passes the time
fidgeting with its toes while the other sleeps in the corner. FOOT CLEANING (1 min video) |
 
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July 10 - A short clip of the owls "holding hands" before heading out to hunt. HOLDING FEET (1 min video) |
 
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July 7 - One owl affectionately greets the other as they both return to the box for the day. GREETINGS (1 min video) |
 
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July 5 - One owlet discovered an interesting way to pass the time today... FEET_ATTACK (1.5 min video) |
 
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June 30 - A short video showing the two owls preening each other. PREENING (1 min video) |
 
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June 25 - Now that the owls are able
to fly, they have started to fall into a routine of leaving the box at
about 10pm every night and remaining in the box during the day. They
continue to use the carcass in the box to enhance their hunting and
capture skills. CARCASS CAPTURE (3 min video) |
 
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June 22 - At about 9:50 pm, both owls took their first
documented flights out of the box. They will continue to rely on their
parents for food for the next few weeks, after which time they will be
hunting on their own and finding their own territories. GOOD LUCK! FIRST FLIGHT (5 min video) |
 
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June 21 - So how do Barn Owls learn to fly? Start with small baby flights, and practice, practice, practice! PRACTICE FLIGHTS (3 min video) |
 
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June 19 - At nearly eight weeks old,
the owls are spending less time sleeping during the day and more time
preparing for their eminent departure. They are often seen flapping
wings, looking out the nest box, and practicing preycaptures. GETTING READY (3 min video) |
 
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June 16 - Who knew such a large carcass was buried under all that debris—even the owls looked surprised! CARCASS DISCOVERY (1min video) |
 
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June 15 - Barn Owls are one of our most efficient and natural pesticides, able to consume an estimated 1,000 rodents per year. FEEDING UP CLOSE (3 min video) |
 
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June 13 - A few seconds of keeping
house uncovers what appears to be the legs and feet of a chicken
carcass that had been buried under the nest debris. CHICKEN SCRATCH (2.5 min video) |
 
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June 10 - Photos can be deceiving,
lucky for us we have video documentation! The younger Barn Owl in this
image is not lying on its back as it appears, but instead, on its
belly, with its head turned backwards! OPTICAL ILLUSION (5 min video) |
 
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June 8 - The owlets experienced a few
hours of music from a serviceman's car radio. This amusing clip shows
their reactions to an odd rendition of "Old McDonald had a farm." RADIO REACTIONS (3 min video) |
 
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June 6 - The owlets are often seen in this seemingly relaxed position with their shoulders down and wings at their sides. Notice the emerging primary flight feathers. |
 
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June 5 - Barn Owls have many
vocalizations including screams, snores, and hisses. The most common
sound heard in this video clip is the sound of both owlets "snoring,"
which are non-aggressive calls that usually increase with hunger or the
arrival of food as this video clip demonstrates. SNORING SOUNDS (3 min video) |
 
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June 4 - The striking difference in
the development of their adult plumage suggests a larger age difference
than what we know to be just two days. |
 
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June 2 - In addition to beginning to
look like adults, the owlets are beginning to act like adults.
This comical video shows the older owlet practicing prey capture
by pouncing on a large rat. The younger owlet gives it a try too! PREY POUNCE (2.5 min video) |
 
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June 1 - Owls compensate for their immovable eyes by having very flexible necks, as this video demonstrates. TURNING HEADS (2 min video) |
 
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May 31 - A viewer from New York sent this image of the owls in a nearly identical pose. |
 
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May 29 - At about six weeks of age and
roughly the same size, the best way to distinguish the owls is by thier
plumage. This video shows the female partitioning the meal to the owlet
that doesn't already have a meal. They seem to share the rodent
peacefully among themselves. DOUBLE FEEDING (16 min video) |
 
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May 26 - Since the owlets are now
capable of eating large prey on their own, it was surprising to see the
female taking the time to tear up food for them. In the process, she had a
snack as well! FEMALE EATING (8 min video) |
 
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May 25 - The owlets are often seen preening each other in hard to reach areas around the face and neck. MUTUAL PREENING (3.5 min video) |
 
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May 24 - Viewers have noticed that the
female often comes in and "cleans house" by scratching the substrate of
the nest box. The video shows both owlets devouring a meal and mom
cleaning up. CLEANING UP (5 min video) |
 
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May 22 - It appears as though the younger owl now has the skill as well as the will to swallow whole large rats. SWALLOWING WHOLE RATS (5 min video) |
 
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May 21 - A sweet video clip of the
younger owl resting its weary head on the feet of its sibling. The
older owlet let his sibling remain in that position for 25 minutes
before moving. SLEEPING SIBLINGS (1 min video) |
 
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May 20 - The eldest owl takes a moment
to stretch and in the process, provides viewers with a clear view of
its emerging wing feathers. WING STRETCH (20 sec video) |
 
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May 18 - It is mid afternoon, and the
owlets seem to be loafing, exploring, and just waiting around for the
next meal. Notice how large they appear when they stand and stretch and
the initial emergence of adult feathers. WAITING AROUND (10 min video) |
 
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May 17 - The owlet in this video casts out a very large pellet, a sure sign that it is being fed. LARGE PELLET CAST (40 sec video) |
 
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May 16 - Cute video clip of one of the owlets reacting to possibly the video camera, a flying insect, or its shadow. ARE YOU LOOKING AT ME? (3 min video) |
 
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May 14 - At three weeks old, the
chicks are beginning to anticipate the arrival of food. As soon as prey
arrives, the owlet that gets it tends to face the back of the box to
swallow it down as quickly as possible. The female makes little attempt
to partition the food fairly. ANTICIPATION (1:25 min video) |
 
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May 11 - Eating food one third your
size takes patience and energy as this video clip shows. Although this
clip is 12 minutes long, it actually took the chick about 28 minutes to
finally get it down. GULP IT DOWN (12 min video). |
 
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May 8 - The female enters the box and
immediately proceeds to consume one of the large prey items on the
floor. With enough begging, she eventually breaks off pieces for the
chicks. FEMALE FEEDING (10 min video) |
 
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May 7 - Every wonder how an owl falls asleep? View this 1 minute video to find out! FALLING (literally!) ASLEEP (1 min video) |
 
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May 6 - In this clip, the male
delivers a meal to the female and young owls. The female decapitates
the rat and gives it to the older owlet, who tries albeit,
unsuccessfully, to swallow the head whole. FAMILY DINNER (5 min video) |
 
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May 4 - In this very short clip we see both of the chicks score a small mouse, each gulping it down within seconds! BOTH CHICKS EATING WHOLE MOUSE (2 min video) |
 
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May 3 - An interesting clip of what
appears to be the female trying to eat a rat. She seems to be playing
"keep away" from the male and the young. FAMILY SQUABBLE (5 MIN VIDEO) |
 
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May 2 - The video portrays the
male delivering a meal and quickly exiting. Shortly thereafter, the
female enters and feeds both young. DELIVERY AND FEEDING (12 min video) |
 
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May 1 - The oldest chick is 12 days
old in this video and clearly becoming more demanding. The last minute
of the clip shows the male entering with a mouse which the oldest chick
gulps down in a few seconds! CHICK EATING MOUSE (5 min video) |
 
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April 29 - In an almost identical fashion as April 27, the male delivers food, mates with the female, and leaves quickly. MATING AND FEEDING YOUNG (6 min video) |
 
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April 27 - The male enters the box
with a large rat, and immediately mounts the female and mates with her.
She proceeds to feed the young shortly thereafter. DELIVERY, MATING, FEEDING (10 min video) |
 
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April 26 - Taking a break from feeding her young, the female gulps down (literally) a large rodent in less than 20 seconds. FEMALE FEEDING (25 sec video) |
 
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April 24 - 3:50pm. Although the female
continues to brood the two chicks, they are clearly starting to
demonstrate their budding independence, as seen in this video clip. MOBILE CHICKS (5 min video). |
 
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April 23 - 5:06am. The movie clip shows the male delivering a hefty looking rat. FOOD DELIVERY (2 min video) |
 
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April 22 - 7:25pm. The female is diligently feeding both chicks in this 15-minute clip. FEEDING YOUNG (15 min video) |
 
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April 19 - 3:25 pm. View the
30-second clip of the female casting a pellet. Pellets are undigested
remains of prey, such as bones and fur, that are regurgitated into an
oval shaped mass. PELLET CASTING (30 sec video) |
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April 18 - 4:30pm. VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED This 6.5 minute video clip shows the female consuming the one day old chick. When the video begins, notice the lifeless body of the chick and the intense panting by the female. Warning, this may be uncomfortable for some viewers to watch. FEMALE CONSUMING CHICK (VIDEO) |
 
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April 18 - Here is a short video clip
(2 minutes) of the male (on the right) trying to eat a rat that the
female had been feeding to the young chick. Although not shown in this
clip, he does eventually succeed in eating the rat. MALE TAKING RAT (2 min video) |
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April 18 - As of 10am, the female was
still feeding the chick, but outside temperatures were already in the
90's. At about 4:00pm, the chick died, presumably from the intense
heat. 30 minutes later, the female consumed the dead chick. |
 
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April 17 - Some time between 10 and 11 AM, the first egg hatched! |
 
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April 16 - The male enters the box
with a small rodent, passes it off to the female, who then holds it in
her mouth while incubating the three eggs and mating with the male. Now
that's multi-tasking! |
 
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April 15 - At about 3:45 AM, the male enters the box carrying an oversized meal, which the female ate in a matter of minutes. |
 
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April 14 - We predicted the first egg to hatch today, but by late evening, there were still three eggs in the nest box. |
 
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April 13 - On average the female rotates the eggs and
switches her position about every hour. We expect the first egg to
begin hatching tonight or tomorrow! |
 
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April 11 - The female takes a break from incubating to
allow for some mutual preening. As hatching day nears, the male will
spend much less time in the box. |
  
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April 7 - 3:30 pm. In the bottom image, the female is seen gnawing on a bone fragment. As soon as she puts it down, the male exits the box. He returns 30 seconds later and begins immediately mating with her. |
 
 
 
 
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April 6 - A viewer from Texas sent us this very cool series of images of the female gulping down very large rat! |
 
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April 3 - 9:40 pm. A viewer from Rhode Island captured this image of the owls mating atop the eggs! |
 
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April 3 - A viewer from New Jersey snapped this shot of the female consuming a very large rat, recently delivered by the male. |
 
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April 1 - The owls frequently preen each other in hard to reach places such as the back of the head and around the eyes. |
 
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Mar 30 - 3:15 pm. In this image the owls are both watching a flying moth in the box which the female attempted to grab, but did not succeed. They also spent a fair bit of time preening one another. |
  
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Mar 29 - 12:39 am. The male passes a
medium sized rodent to the female. She quickly gobbled this down, even
after consuming a very large rat just an hour earlier. |
 
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Mar 28 - 3:49 pm. Viewers have noticed
the decreased visitation by the male lately. It is likely that he is
roosting elsewhere during the day and spending a great deal of time
hunting at night. |
 
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Mar 27 - 12:44 pm. It is obvious that the clutch is now complete. A three-egg clutch for a Barn Owl is considered small. The severe drought that Texas has endured could be impacting the availability of prey items, which can affect clutch size. |
 
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Mar 24 - 3:30 pm. The male spent a lot
of time in the nest with the female today. It has been three days since
the last egg was laid. |
 
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Mar 23 - The female routinely rotates her three eggs. We expect her to lay the fourth egg either today or tomorrow. |
 
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Mar 22 - This image was captured shortly after the female regurgitated a pellet. It appeared that she was calling for the male. |
 
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Mar 21 - A viewer from Lake Hiawatha, NJ, sent this image of the newly laid third egg (2:54 PM). Immediately following, the female consumes one of the many prey items littering the floor of the nest box and then the male mates with her! |
 
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Mar 20 - It appears the female is taking a break from nest-sitting, leaving the male with the eggs. |
 
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Mar 19 - A viewer from Woodstock, IL spotted the second egg around noon today! |
 
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Mar 17 - Sometime between 8 and 9 AM,
the female laid the first egg, with thousands of Internet viewers
watching in real time streaming video! |
 
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Mar 14 - Prior to egg laying, the pair
spend a lot of time together in the nest, preening one another, and
strengthening their pair bond. Following a copulation event, the female
(left) typically preens the male. |
 
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Mar 9 - The camera was down for several days while we reconfigured the system to stream video. Still no egg though! |
 
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Mar 4 - The Nest Box Cam has something
new on its plate (or in its beak, rather)! Soon, the nesting activity
of the Texas Barn Owls will be viewable live as Streaming VIDEO! Stay
tuned! |
 
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Mar 4 - The male helps the female
preen her back feathers. This assistive preening may serve two
functions - 1) hygiene, since lice species have been detected on Barn
Owls; 2) reaffirmation of pair bonds. |
 
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Mar 3 - This pair has so far been very
successful at procuring food. Watch out for excess prey items in the
box - one Barn Owl pair was reported to have stored 189 excess prey
items! |
 
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Mar 2 - Eggs are on the way, as is
emphasized by this initiation of a copulation event. Notice that the
male, on the left, is very pale, whereas the female is quite dark, even
a bit larger. |
| Mar 1 - We recently began receiving images from this nest box, and this year it looks as though we're ahead of them! No eggs yet. |