Barn Owl (CA) LIVE!
Document Actions
The owls have officially fledged!
Species: Barn Owl (Tyto alba)Location: Benicia, CA Status: The owls have officially fledged! |
2007 Daily Highlights (Tyto alba)
|
September 6 - The "steadfast" pair. Barn Owl pairs generally remain together as long as they both live. |
|
August 17 - A view of the pair settled into their typical relaxed roosting positions. |
 |
August 8 - The owl in the
background stayed in this position for a few minutes today. It may be
casting a pellet, but that was unclear. |
 |
July 23 - Barn owls are usually
monogamous, but there have been numerous reports of polygamy. Biandry -
in which two males mate cooperatively with one female - have
occasionally been observed in captive barn owls. |
 |
July 19 - The owls spent a lot of time preening each other like this today. |
 |
July 18 - Owls roosting in the
box, occasionally taking time to preen themselves. The owlets may or
may not be gone for good yet. |
 |
July
9 - These may be the grown owlets coming back to the box, but
there is an equal chance that these are the two adults, reclaiming
their box. |
 |
July 5 - Our cameras are capturing only fleeting glimpses of the fully grown and fully fledged owlets now. |
 |
June 29 - Although the owlets
are spending far less time in the box these days, they have been
returning to their natal site to feed on freshly caught prey items. |
 |
June 27 - The video captured by a cam viewer apparently shows one sibling "returning" a prey item to its original owner. GIFT OR RETURN? (4 min. video) |
 |
Jun. 22 - Great footage captured by a California viewer of aggressive encounters between two siblings. Aggressive siblings (2.5 min. video) |
 |
Jun. 14 - A smaller owlet appears to offer food to its older sibling. Sibling food offering (1 min. movie) |
 |
Jun. 12 - One of the owlets laid in this position for a long time while its siblings looked on, and occasionally poked at it. |
 |
June 9 - A dedicated viewer from California sent us the following clips showing sibling competition for prey items. Prey Snatch I (1 min. video) Prey Snatch 2 (1 min. video) |
 |
June 7 - Despite the tight space
in the box, three owlets find room for short practice flights and
pouncing of inanimate objects. SIBLING POUNCES (4 min. video) |
 |
June 5 - Strange looking prey. |
 |
June 4 - Along with one other prey animal, this large meal was the subject of a good deal of finicky attention from the owlets. |
 |
June 3 - The owlets' days of dependence are numbered - soon they will be hunting their own prey animals. |
 |
June 1 - A sizable prey animal! |
 |
May 31 - A display of beautiful wing feathers. |
 |
May 30 - It was a night of ample food drops but the owlets were competitive anyway. All apparently got a share. |
 |
May 29 - One of several prey animal meals of the night. |
 |
May 28 - Similar to yesterday's video still of family life in the nest box. |
 |
May 27 - Playful preening between mother and owlet. |
 |
May 26 - An eager stretch of the wings reminds us that the fledgling stage is about two weeks away. |
 |
May 25 - The four siblings roost together in the morning. |
 |
May 24 - A moment of preening between owlet siblings. EATING (I-MIN. VIDEO) |
 |
May 22 - Swallowing prey animals is no longer an issue for the owlets. SWALLOWING (1-min. video) |
 |
May 21 - A view into the mother's open bill. |
 |
May 20 - Here's a nice still
showing an owlet's tail feathers during a wing-flapping. The tail won't
be ready for flight until day seventy of the owlet's life. |
 |
May 19 - Owls have facial anatomies which are distinct among birds, described as "discs." |
 |
May 16 - A good deal of wing exercise is occurring. This owlet proudly stood with its wings outstretched for several minutes. |
 |
May 15 - This owlet manages to
grab the delivered prey rodent, keep its siblings at bay while it
asseses its size, and swallows it. RODENT DELIVERY (4-min. video) |
 |
May 14 - This video clip gives
us an opportunity to see the owlet's developing face as it stands directly in front of the camera lens. OWLET CLOSE-UP (3-min. video) |
 |
May 12 - It's good to see owlet "#4," the youngest hatchling, getting a square deal and a square meal. |
 |
May 11 - The owlets'
relationship to their parents will not cease once they begin to fledge;
they will come and go from the nest box for several weeks and continue
to depend on the parents for food. |
 |
May 9 - While one owlet sleeps in the corner, the other three align themselves beside their mother. |
 |
May
8 - The owlets performed more feats of acrobatic ingestion tonight. In
the second video clip, the owlet has difficulty with the prey rodent
but takes a break and finally swallows it. SWALLOWING (4-min. video) HARD TO SWALLOW (4-min video) |
 |
May 7 - The mother owl tenderly
preens one of her uncomfortable owlets on a hot day in the nest box. The
owlets have been sprawled out and laying low. PREENING (2-min. video) |
 |
May 6 - One can see in this
video still how the facial disc of the oldest owlet is filling out and
taking on the look of an adult barn owl. |
 |
May 3 - Last night saw a flurry
of prey animals. Here the owlets work on three animals at once, and one
of the smaller nestlings displays swallowing prowess. THREE PREY RODENTS (4-min. video) |
 |
May
2 - The owlets are learning fast how to do things for themselves.
One of the larger nestlings does some impressive ingestion of a rodent
here. SWALLOWING (4-min. video) |
 |
May 1 - In this amusing video,
the owlets battle over a prey animal in a playful, non-aggressive way.
In the end everyone seems to get a fair share. FOOD COMPETITION (4-min. video) |
 |
Apr. 30 - A little grooming helps the owlets stay in good health. |
 |
Apr. 29 - Adult barn owls sleep while standing up on their roost, with eyes closed and head slightly lowered. |
 |
Apr. 28 - A side-by-side comparison of
a nestling and adult barn owl. The owlets ' down
coats are nearing completion. FOUR OWLETS (2-min. video) |
 |
Apr. 27 - To properly care for
and protect the owlets during their nestling stage, the mother barn owl
can not leave the nest box, so a big wing stretch can help her to stay
limber. |
 |
Apr. 26 - Sometime during the past several hours, a third chick seems to have disappeared, likely consumed by its siblings. |
| Apr. 25 - In this sequence of stills below the mother owl takes care to individually feed each of her five owlets, after bringing a freshly caught rodent into the box. | |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Apr. 24 - This still proves the
existence of five owlets, one of whom is dwarfed in size compared to
the rest of the brood. The two missing owlets were reported as eaten by
the others, but the cause of death remains uncertain. |
 |
Apr. 24 - It's hard to get a head count here but it appears that possibly two of the owlets may be missing. When an owlet dies in the nest box, it is promptly eaten by the rest of the brood. |
 |
Apr. 23 - This image provides good evidence that at least one of the younger chicks was eaten by an older chick. |
 |
Apr. 22 - Time for a head-count. All six hatched owlets are visible here, as are their varied sizes. |
 |
Apr. 21 - Around the age of sixteen days, barn owlets develop the ability to swallow their prey whole, which is what appears to be happening here. |
 |
Apr. 20 - Extreme close-up of feeding! The mother owl apportions small pieces of the prey animal to each owlet, beak to beak. |
 |
Apr. 19 - One unhatched egg remains under this pile of six owlets. A barn owl egg typically incubates for about thirty days. |
 |
Apr. 18 - There is a lot of
activity in the nest box today. This image captures a great
glimpse of the developing faces of the growing nestlings! |
 |
Apr. 17 - Six eggs have hatched with one egg to go! |
 |
Apr. 17 - The sixth egg hatched earlier today! Remnants of the egg shell can be seen to the right of the female. |
 |
Apr. 17 - A cute shot of the male and female at mid-morning. |
 |
Apr. 16 - Incubation continues as each egg hatches. Hatching should be complete in the next three to four days. |
 |
Apr. 15 - The fifth egg hatched this morning! |
  |
Apr. 14 - The female owl keeps the nest sanitary for the owlets by eating their accumulated feces. NEST CLEANING (2 min. video) Apr. 13 - The nestlings will gain body weight quickly after hatching, but then will lose weight shortly before they fledge from the nest. |
 |
Apr. 12 - The fourth egg hatched today! The clutch should be finished with the hatching phase in about a week. |
 |
Apr. 11 - An image sent to
us by the nest cam host in California showing the female with the third
owlet that hatched sometime the night before. |
 |
Apr. 9 - A beautiful shot of the Barn Owl's unique heart-shaped facial features. |
 |
Apr. 8 - The second owlet arrived
sometime overnight. Barn Owls are capable of reproduction
throughout the year in climates that are suitable for breeding. |
 |
Apr. 6 - The first egg hatched
today in the early morning! The male will continue to bring food to
the nest but only the female participates in feeding the young. |
 |
Apr. 4 - A great shot showing
the allopreening (mutual preening) that occurs between the male and the
female Barn Owls. This behavior helps to maintain the pair bond
especially during the breeding season. |
| PREENING (2.5 min. video) |
|
 |
Apr. 2 - The end of the
incubation period is getting closer each day! Hatching typically
starts in the evening hours and ends in the early morning. |
 |
Mar. 31 - A distinguishing
characteristic that helps to determine the sex of a Barn Owl is the
marking on the breast. Here we see a largely white chest that is
typical of a male, while the female has larger and darker spotting on
the breast. |
 |
Mar. 30 - Prey items are often
stored at the nest site of Barn Owls during incubation and primary
stages of brooding. Here we see an image of the female consuming
one of the many prey that the male will bring to her in the nest. |
|
Mar. 26 - Studies have shown that
exposure to pesticides can be a significant threat to Barn Owls,
causing eggshell thinning and possible death to embryos and even adults. |
|
Mar. 25 - During the incubation period, eggs must be turned frequently to ensure proper development of the embryo. |
|
Mar. 24 - The female has an incubation
patch on her abdomen, which is an area with few feathers that is placed
against the eggs to distribute heat during incubation. |
 |
Mar.
23 - Mating continues despite the fact that the seven-egg clutch is
probably complete. It is believed that the post egg-laying copulations
help to maintain the pair bond. |
 |
Mar. 22 - Maintaining his responsibility while his mate incubates, the male enters the box with a freshly caught rodent for her. |
 |
Mar. 20 - At about 6:30 this evening, the female surprised us by laying a seventh egg! |
 |
Mar. 19 - With six eggs underneath her, the male takes an opportunity to mount his mate and copulate again. |
 |
Mar. 17 - To our delight, the female lays yet another egg, for a total of six. |
 |
Mar. 17 - A clear image of the
five eggs flanked by the male on the left and the female on the right.
Notice the chest of the male is much paler than that of the female. |
 |
Mar. 16 - While the female incubates the clutch of five eggs, the male is sits close to the camera, mouth open. |
 |
Mar. 15 - At approximately 4pm, the female lays the fifth egg! |
|
Mar. 15 - A bonded pair of Barn Owls
typically stay together as long as they are both alive, but if their
mate disappears they will readily seek another mate. |
|
Mar. 14 - Preening involves use of the
uropygial gland, located at the base of the tail. This gland
secretes oil that "zips" the branches of the feather together and helps
to repel water. |
|
Mar. 13 - Barn Owls stretch often, balancing on one leg while stretching the opposite leg and wing at the same time. |
|
Mar. 12 - The first image of the
fourth egg! Although the actual number can vary, the average
clutch of a Barn Owl is five eggs. |
|
Mar. 11 - Although little is known
about distance preferences in the nest box, bonded pairs of Barn Owls
have been observed roosting next to one another. |
|
Mar. 10 - The first glimpse of the
third egg occurred around 1:30 pm today! The eggs are smooth with
a dull white cast and can become darkened from nest material as they
are incubated. |
|
Mar. 9 - The wings of a Barn Owl have
dorsal (upper surface) feathers that are brownish-gold and are marked
with black spots that extend to the feather tip. |
 |
Mar. 8 - Barn Owls typically
consume their prey whole although larger prey items may be eaten in
pieces. Owls will regurgitate what are referred to as "pellets",
which contain parts that cannot be digested such as bones or fur. |
 |
Mar. 7 - The second egg was
laid today at about 7:00pm. Barn Owls lay eggs in asynchronous
intervals, which means that they lay eggs 2-3 days apart. |
 |
Mar. 6 - After the first egg is laid, incubation
by the female will begin. The male Barn Owl will bring food to the female
while she is in the nest. |
 |
Mar.
5 - At approximately 12:00 noon today, we saw the arrival of the first
egg! This is a nice view of the female with her egg later in the
evening. |
 |
Mar. 3 - A day in the life of a Barn Owl can be
a lot of work, especially during mating season. Since owls are
nocturnal creatures, a few moments of time for rest during mid-day is
not uncommon. |
 |
Mar. 2 - The Barn Owls are
mating several times each day and have been for about two weeks.
It takes approximately one month from the onset of mating until the
first egg is laid. |
|
Feb. 28 - Maintaining the strong pair bond involves, among other things, mutual preening by the male and female Barn Owl. |
|
Feb. 26 - The "ghostly" facial features of the male in the forefront are evident as he peers into the camera. |
 |
Feb.
22 - During the mating phases, the male brings the female lots of food
(more than she can consume!) as a way to solicit copulations. |
 |
Feb. 20 - A nice shot of the male grasping the back of the female's neck, immediately prior to a copulation event. |
 |
Feb. 14 - Happy Valentine's Day! The owls are captured here
in the classic mounting pose! With mating underway, it won't be long
before we see the first egg! |