Cornell Lab Barred Owl Bird Cam

For any with avian voyeuristic tendencies, Cornell Lab of Ornithology has several web cams to satisfy your curiosity and enhance your understanding of bird behavior for both feeding and nesting.  I have been enamored, particularly with the barred owl cam as we have barred owls in my woods.

Owlet Pair sharing together time with Mom in NestBox

So while I see the male hunting and hooting (and her anwering from deep in the woods),  I have not yet figured out their nest location. But we've had them for years, and they are lovely (if not startling) to see flying at dusk and early morning.  The barred owl cam, though, gives me a vicarious experience of watching the Indiana barred owls.  It is hosted by the owner of Wild Birds Unlimited. 

The camera set up is first rate:  an interior camera and an exterior camera--both high definition. They use an infra red light inside the box so that you can see what's what even at night. I caught the owls toward the end of her brooding her eggs--two of them.  I also so the first hole where the great escape was to take place.  The first owlet hatched and the very next day the second one emerged.

In the space of just two weeks, viewers have been treated to the careful tending of the mother to the chicks.  They went from looking like cotton balls to now having their feathers coming out and reflecting the lovely pattern characteristic of barred owls.  I feel like they are part of my family!

I note that watching is not for the faint-hearted.  These birds are predatory; all manner of prey--snakes, frogs, baby rabbits, fish, mice, crayfish--are brought to these hungy lungries.  They bring a whole new meaning to eat, sleep, prey!(sic)   Though watching the loss of one life to feed another can be upsetting to some, the animal world is eat or be eaten.  It is the balance of life, and you can see that NOTHING goes to waste.  Food is stockpiled like you would have a pantry.  If the owlets are sleeping when the prey arrives, it is deposited in the box.

IN the beginning, the mother would have to feed the owlets by tearing up the prey and carefully offering it to the little ones.  NOw....GULP.  They snarf down the food (head first).  When you see how much they eat, you realize that the parents (as any avian parent) has to work pretty hard to keep the bellies full.  The female is now hunting, but for almost a month, it was the male who was feeding first the female as she at on the eggs, and then the three of three of them.  The hen has to stay with the nestlings until they can regulate their body temperature.

If you are interested in the process, I hope that you will click on the link.  Also consider supporting the great work doen by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.