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September 29 - Both owls have been roosting together all week, leaving and arriving in tandem.
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September 23 - Although the second owl has been away for parts of the week, both have been in the nest box since yesterday.
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September 18 - The second
owl returned early this morning after having been gone nearly a week.
We'll see how long it stays around for this time!
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September 14 - The second
of the two owls has not been seen in a couple of days, and the one in
this image looks to be taking full advantage of the extra space.
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September 11 - These two
individuals continue to spend quiet days in the nest box. This image
was taken just before they left for most of the night.
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September 8 - Relaxation and inactivity are the orders of the day.
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September 5 - We have not seen the other owl at all today, so this individual roosted alone.
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September 4 - Though they normally spend most of their days resting, here we see some bill sweeping.
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September 3 - Ever wondered what the inside of an owl's beak looked like?
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September 2 - Even with company in the nest box, these owls still get plenty of time to rest.
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September 1 - These two owls are frequently seen preening each other throughout the day.
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August 31 - The other owl
returned this morning, and the pair has roosted quietly together for
much of the day. This is the first and only copulation event for which
we have images. We'll keep a careful eye on this pair!
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August 30 - We've not seen the other owl since yesterday. Stay tuned!
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August 29 - This is one of
the first images of two owls in the nest box together. They spent about
five minutes inside before leaving. One was seen briefly about an hour
later, then again around dawn when it returned to stay for the day.
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August 27 - A mid-afternoon stretch offers a great view of the plumage in daylight.
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August 26 - By now, this is a familiar pose to those of us who enjoy watching this owl each day.
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August 24 - Standing on one foot, this owl easily scratches the back of its head with the other foot.
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August 23 - After leaving
the nest box after dusk each night, this individual typically returns
for a brief visit before heading back out for the rest of the night.
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August 19 - Aside from a
little preening (seen here) and repositioning, this individual appears
to sleep soundly for much of the day.
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August 14 - Days are pretty quiet inside this nest box as the owl rests after a night of hunting.
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August 10 - This owl
continues to roost in the nest box each day. The side-view cam affords
wonderful images of the owl's facial disks that enhance hearing and
aid in the detection of prey.
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August 5 - Clearly
something near the nest box cam caught the attention of this
inhabitant! After brief investigation, it roosted for the rest of the
day.
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August 3 - For the last
couple of days, this individual has arrived at the nest box near dawn,
remained inside all day, and has left near dusk.
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August 1 - This individual
spent the majority of the day roosting. Individuals will habitually use
the same roost for long periods.
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July 29 - One owl spent much of yesterday and today roosting in the nest box.
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July 24 - This Barn Owl spent about 20 minutes in the nest box today as it
roosted in the typical position with head tilted down, eyes closed, and facial
disk relaxed. |
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July 21 - This lone owl was roosting in the box for much of the day.
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July 20 - For a short time in the early morning, there were two Barn Owls in the
nest box engaging in mutual preening. One of the Barn Owls spent nearly the
entire day in the nest box. |
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July 18 - Only one
individual was seen in the nest box today, and it didn't stay long.
Dispersal from natal sites can vary greatly; immature Barn Owls
disperse in all directions at distances up to 1,900 km.
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July 17 - For the first time in over a week, two Barn Owls were seen in the nest
box! |
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July 14 - Barely in the box for more than
30 minutes at a time, the young owls are on their way to full
independence. It is estimated however, that 75% of Barn Owls will not
survive their first year of life.
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July 13 - One owl was seen in the nest box for brief intervals a couple of times during the night.
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July 12 - Two owls were seen briefly in the nest box together, though the box remained empty for most of the day.
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July 10 - Although the Barn Owl returned to the nest box several times to eat
its prey, it only spent about 45 minutes total in the box over a 24 hour
period. |
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July 9 - We are not quite sure what type of object the Barn Owl had
in its talons but it seemed to fascinate the owl as it played with it for much
of the day. |
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July 8 - Barn Owls are one
of the best natural predators of rodents. It is estimated that one Barn
Owl can consume over 1,000 rats per year.
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July 6 - Although joined by a sibling last night, this owl enjoyed this meal alone today.
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July 5 - For the majority of the day and night, there was only one Barn Owl roosting in
the nest box. |
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July 4 - These two owls exhibit the typical Barn Owl roosting position with
plumage slightly fluffed, and one foot tucked into the feathers of the abdomen. |
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July 2 - Only two of the owls were visible in the nest throughout the day or night.
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July 1 - Three owlets
remain in the box all day. One of the owls appears to be "screaming",
to either sound an alarm, advertise distress, or to express aggression
toward siblings.
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June 30 - These young Barn Owls, which continue to roost together, will soon be driven off the territory by the parents.
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June 29 - The middle owlet
laid down for a few minutes today and tried to get the attention of
either sibling. Here we see that persistence paid off! A willing
sibling briefly preened the horizontal owlet.
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June 28 - At over 10 weeks old, the owlets are exhibiting plumage very similar to their adult parents.
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June 27 - Here we see how small the nest box can appear with four fledglings inside.
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June 26 - Between 65-80 days old, the tail and flight feathers of
the Barn Owl fledglings should now be fully developed |
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June 25 - Here is a good shot of the Barn Owls preening each other's face. Barn
Owls practice mutual preening as a means of maintaining and displaying a
friendly relationship. |
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June 24 - Young Barn Owls
typically become independent of the adults in mid to late summer when
they will leave their birth place in search of their own territory.
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June 23 - Although the
immature Barn Owls are able to fly they are still dependent upon the
adults for food and will continue to be for at least another 2-4 weeks.
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June 22 - Though the nest
box has been empty some of the day, up to four owlets have been seen at
various intervals. Here, three huddle together.
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June 21 - These two handsome owlets spent much of the night and all of the day huddled together in the nest box.
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June 20 - At ages ranging between 65 and 80 day old, the Barn Owl chicks begin to fledge.
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June 19 - The owlet raises its large wings, which will reach 42 to 43 inches in length
when fully grown. |
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June 17 - Given
their age and adult-like appearance, this may be one of the last few
shots of all six owlets together before they fledge. |
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June 16 - With wings outstretched, this owlet gives us a beautiful view of its primary and
secondary feathers. |
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June
15 - Although rarely seen, the parents continue to drop food into the
nest. Once fledge, the owlets will remain dependent on their parents
for food for an additional 3-5 weeks.
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June 13 - All six of the owlets are now sporting
a more uniform juvenile plumage, which is very similar to what will eventually
become their adult plumage one year from now. |
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June 12 - As photogenic as ever, one of the owls looks interested in something near the cam.
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June 10 - It is hard to
imagine this docile bunch fledging soon, though they will continue to
return to the nest box to roost for several weeks after fledging.
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June 8 - Practice flights continue while siblings doze in the corner.
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June
5 - The oldest of the owls has started taking small practice flights in
the box. Actual flights outside the box will occur within the nest week
or two.
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June 3 - A sweet view of one of the owlets, whose ages now range between 45 and 60 days.
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June 2 - One of the owlets has the curiosity of the five
others—probably because of whatever it is eating.
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June 1 - The large round head, lack of ear tufts, and heart-shaped face make the Barn Owl distinct among all owl species.
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May 30 - Two of the owls are beginning to show their
prebasic or immature plumage, which they will maintain for the next year before
attaining their full adult molt.
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May 29 - A few of the owls look on as a
sibling devours prey. Surprisingly, there is little antagonistic behavior among
nestlings. |
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May 28 - The owlets have arranged themselves in an interesting fan-like position.
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May 27 - This image clearly illustrates the age
ranges of the owls. The far left owlet is still fully covered in downy while
the tallest owlet in the center looks more like an adult. |
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May 26 - The older owlets are over six weeks old
and are starting to show their juvenile plumage. |
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May 25 - Judging by the feathering of the owlets
tucked in the corner, they appear to be the two oldest. |
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May 24 - With the six
young all lined up, one of the parents enters the box with food, which
is being consumed by the second owlet from the left.
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May 23 - The owlets are
approximately six weeks old, and although appear ready to fly, are
still at least a week away from taking practice flights.
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May 22 - Between the 35th and 60th day of development, the fluffy white downy will be replaced by juvenile plumage.
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May 21 - One of the owlets, presumably the
youngest, continues to sleep lying down, at the foot of its siblings.
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May 20 - The female has not entered the box for several hours, possibly the reason for this owlet's vocalizations.
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May 19 - One of the owlets stretches its wings, showing off the emerging adult feathers which begin to grow around day 35.
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May 18 - True to their
nocturnal nature, the owlets are very active at night and typically
more sedate during the day, preferring to be huddled in a corner
together.
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May 17 - The chicks appear to be more like a pile of fluff than actual birds
when they are all clumped together. They should start to grow out their adult
plumage around day 35. |
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May 16 - Many of the older chicks are starting to take on the characteristic
heart-shaped facial disk of the adult Barn Owl. |
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May 15 - With the female gone from the nest most of the time, the responsibility
of nest sanitization falls to the chicks. This nest actually appears to be
pretty clean considering the number of owlets living in it. |
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May 14 - The female spends the nights away hunting for food with the male, but
she still roosts in the nest box with the chicks during the day. |
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May 13 - With a whole lot of siblings and a limited food supply, the younger
chicks have to hold on to what they get, in the case of the chick in the middle, "hold on" is taken quite literally! |
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May 12 - After having not seen either of the parents for several hours, one of
the chicks gets impatient for a meal and gives a cry for them. |
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May 11 - The chicks eagerly look on as one of the parents delivers a meal. They
are in the peak of their growth phase right now (between 10 and 25 days), which
requires a lot of food/energy. |
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May 10 - The chicks are starting to gain better control of their bodies, here
they are testing the flexibility of their necks. |
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May 9 - At two weeks old, the youngest chick is finally able to eat whole prey
items without the female tearing it up first. |
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May 8 - The nest box is more than big enough for all seven chicks but they seem
to prefer piling on top of each other, most likely to stay warm. |
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May 7 - The chicks have a while before they get their adult
feathers, but some of the older ones are starting to show a few poking out around
the wings and face. |
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May 6 - Even though the female has stopped brooding the chicks she will still
divide up the prey items among them for the next 2 weeks to ensure they all are
fed properly. |
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May 5 - At just under 30 days of age, some
of the older chicks are now starting to stretch and flap their wings, as they
are in this image when the male parent entered the nest. |
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May 4 - The female now roosts in the nest
with the chicks instead of brooding them. They are all old enough to maintain
their own body heat so she doesn't have to sit on them any more. |
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May 3 - "She's got all her ducks lined up."
It looks like one of the smaller chicks got squeezed out of the picture, but the
other six made for quite a nice shot. |
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May 2 - The male delivers one of many prey
items that he will bring to the box in a day. It has been reported that during
the peak of feeding he will bring 6 prey items per hour. |
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May 1 - Although it looks a little shaky,
the oldest chick is now able to completely stand up on its feet. |
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April 30 - One of the chicks takes a lesson
in Pellet Casting School. Pellet casting starts to become more necessary as the
chicks begin to eat whole animals instead of small pieces of flesh the female
tears apart. |
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April 29 - The female is still brooding most
of the chicks, but the oldest one is becoming more independent now that it can
maintain its own body heat. |
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April 28 - At 30 days old some of the chicks are
starting to be able to stretch and flap their wings, but space is at a premium!
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April 27 - The chick on the left picks at a
rodent. After two weeks of age the owlets are able to swallow prey whole, which
means the female has less work in feeding. |
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April 26 - The most rapid growth that the
chicks will go through is beginning now for the older half of the owlets, that
is between days 10 and 25. |
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April 25 - The advantages of
asynchronous hatching for the older chicks becomes evident now that all
have hatched. The youngest is only a day old while the oldest is
already 17 days old! |
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April 24 - The last egg has
finally cracked open and all seven chicks are alive, quite the
impressive venture by this pair for a second year in a row. |
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April 23 - The male has been
busy delivering food for the female and six owlets. He has about two
more weeks before the female will join him in the effort. |
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April 22 - It has been difficult to tell,
but a small piece of shell appeared that the female quickly consumed, and only
one egg seems to be visible, so it is safe to assume that the sixth chick has
hatched. |
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April 21 - When incubating, the female will
usually take an extended break right around dawn and again at dusk. This leaves
the chicks to huddle together to keep warm. |
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April 20 - Barn Owl pairs will remain
together for life, but if one is killed the other will quickly
remate. |
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April 19 - When feeding the chicks, the
female will prop herself up with her wings, hold the prey down with her claws,
then pull it apart with her beak and give it to the waiting owlets beneath
her. |
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April 18 - Another broken egg shell indicates that 5 out of the 7 chicks have now hatched. |
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April
17 - "Beak to beak," the eldest chick is starting to be able to sit up
and is becoming more used to crawling around the nest. |
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April
16 - Never failing to impress, the female stretches out her long,
graceful wings while she takes a break from brooding/incubating. |
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April 15 - Remarkably, with four of seven eggs hatched, the parents are still mating regularly. |
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April 14 - It looks as though the fourth chick is beginning to emerge out of its shell. |
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April 13 - For the first few days of life out of the egg shell the chicks will be fed pieces of prey by the female once an hour. |
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April 12 - The female consumes the empty egg shell of the newly hatched third chick that is keeping warm under her belly. |
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April 11 - When nest boxes aren't available Barn Owls nest in
cavities found anywhere from trees, cliffs, and caves, to church
steeples, barn lofts, and industrial buildings. |
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April 10 - Pieces of eggshell evidence the presence of a second chick that has hatched. |
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April 9 - The female stretches with the lone chick by her feet,
perhaps her last day before things get pretty hectic in the box. |
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April 8 - Sometime this morning, the first chick broke out of its shell! |
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April 7 - The female provides a great example of the symmetrical designs found throughout nature. |
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April 6 - Efforts have been made at releasing captive Barn Owls
into the wild, but they have found very little success. Providing
artificial nest boxes has been the only definitive management practice
shown to increase population size. |
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April 5 - At the beginning of hatching the chick makes slight
noises inside the egg and the female makes a soft version of the
food-offering call. She also may help with removing pieces of shell. |
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April 4 - It is common for Barn Owl pairs to mate throughout the incubation period and even into brooding. |
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April 3 - The female demonstrates the flexibility of her neck, which can rotate 180 degrees. |
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April 2 - Typically Barn Owls cast a pellet ~7 hours after consuming a meal such as this one the female is swallowing. |
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April 1 - According to the 30 day average for incubation we expect the first egg to hatch sometime around the 6th of April. |
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March 30 - The male is rarely seen in the nest anymore except to deliver prey to the female and occasionally mate. |
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March 29 - Barn Owls swallow most smaller prey whole, larger prey
items must be broken down into a few pieces, and usually heads are
discarded. |
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March 28 - It has been a full four days since the seventh egg was
laid and there have been no additions, so it would appear the clutch
will end at 7. |
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March 27 - Although Barn Owls are monogamous and mate for life,
outside of the breeding season they roost separately, and only join
together a month before egg laying. |
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March 26 - The most limiting factor for Barn Owl populations is
nest cavity availability. Boxes like this one have been very successful
in sustaining viable population sizes. |
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March 25 - "Who's there?" Barn Owls have such acute hearing that
they can locate prey moving under snow and vegetation, and they
memorize the noises of different prey. |
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March 24 - Most likely a result of an abundant availability of prey, our pair were able to lay another clutch of seven eggs! |
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March 23 - If she does not flip each egg every few hours the
amniotic fluid may become stuck to the egg shell, causing the growing
owlet inside to die. |
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March 22 - In order to meet the calcium demands for good thick egg
shells during egg production, the female must eat the bones and all. |
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March 21 - Just like clockwork, the female lays a sixth egg. |
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March 20 - Multi-tasking at its best! The female continues to eat while the male mates with her as she incubates her five eggs. |
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March 19 - The female holds a very large prey item in her mouth, which we assume to be a type of rat. |
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March 18 - . . .And then there were five! The average clutch size for a Barn Owl ranges from 4-7 eggs for a healthy pair. |
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March 17 - Probably attracted to the IR light, a large white moth joined the female for a while during the night. |
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March 16 - This looks like it could be part of a juvenile rabbit!
Quite a catch for a Barn Owl as their typical diet consists of voles,
mice, shrews, and rats. |
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March 15 - The female moves off the eggs to reveal the fourth egg which was laid some time during the mid-afternoon. |
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March 14 - Despite the apparent lack of activity by the female
during incubation, the demands of egg laying on her body require a
marked increase in food intake. This must be provided by the male
because she cannot leave the nest. |
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March 13 - The pair have continued to mate almost hourly, night and day, when the male is not out hunting. |
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March 12 - The female raises up to reveal the third egg. |
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March 11 - The female stretches out after a long period of sitting on the eggs. |
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March 10 - The second egg has arrived. Typically Barn Owls will lay an egg every 2-3 days. |
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March 9 - Incubation begins immediately when the first egg is laid. |
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March 8 - The female uses her feet to rotate the egg. |
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March 7 - Finally, their hard work has paid off! Laying below the female is the first egg, laid sometime around 8pm. |
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March 6 - Given the spike in mating attempts, we are surprised that the female has not laid her first egg yet. |
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March 4 - The female continues eating her meal while the male mates with her. |
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March 2 - The male spends little time in the nest with the female now, except to bring her food and mate. |
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March 2 - A slightly different angle of the male as he climbs off the female following a mating event. |
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February 28 - During the past few days, mating has
occurred at an almost frantic pace. Our cameras have recorded
copulation between the male and female every few hours. |
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February 27 - Most of the mating occurs at night, but here we see the two mating during the mid morning. |
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February 25 - The male delivers a freshly caught rat to
the female. She relies on him almost exclusively to feed her during the
egg-laying and incubation period.
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February 23 - While the female continues to consume her meal, the male mates with her. |
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February 20 - The male peers into the camera's Infrared lights, which they can see but cause no harm to the birds. |
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February 19 - The female is seen here coughing up a pellet, which contains the undigested parts of prey such as bones and fur. |
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February 18 - The birds appear to be "bill sweeping" a normal grooming activity between mated pairs. |
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February 17 - The female, at right, is in a typical post-copulatory crouched position. |
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February 16 - The males and females look so similar,
that it is often hard to tell them apart, but the female shows a bit
more color on her chest. |
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February 14 - Most Barn Owls are monogamous and remain together as long as both live. |
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February 13 - The typical copulation event lasts about 10-20 seconds, which is considered relatively long for birds. |
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February 12 - Barn Owls are one of several owl species
that rely on natural or man-made cavities in which to nest. Providing
nest boxes for them is an excellent way to increase their numbers while
decreasing the rodent population. |
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February 10 - Although, not altogether obvious, the
male appears to be trying to mount the female. Mating during daylight
seems to occur less frequently than at night. |
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February 8 - We have been watching these owls for over
a year now, and similar to last year, they begin their breeding season
in early February. |
