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8/8/10 Here are the links to jmm’s clips from the 8/7/10 banding:
Part1
Part 2
Part 3
Thank you all who came or watched yesterday. The intent was to hopefully provide a more in depth experience of learning more about not only owls, but all the other wild things we work hard to understand, share, restore, and/or protect here at Starr Ranch and beyond. Pete
7/19/10 The new view above is the IR cam on the left and the PTZ cam on the right. I set this up so you don’t lose the contextual view from the IR cam when I zoom in with the PTZ cam. And of course, the PTZ gives you some nice closeup views even if I’m not zooming. Please let me know what you think. BTW, the bandwidth use of two views is not much different than what all were watching on the single IR cam during the first brood. Basically, these two cams are reduced in resolution with no visible quality loss so together they are using virtually the same bandwidth the IR cam was using at higher resolution a few months back. Note: The 2 views are not quite synced, but the difference should only be a few seconds. Tech note: I’m gonna replace the hardware that digitizes the right PTZ feed so that “graininess” in the middle of the view goes away. Point: It’s not the cam, but the processor. And I’m quite certain I can fix.
On another note, I think by now most know I’m doing as best I can to make this cam as good as it can be – I’m not done by any means searching for ways to make this glimpse of nature the best experience it can be for all of you. So if you like what you see and learn here, please consider a donation. Any support you might be able to give will be greatly appreciated. I also hope you know that supporting this cam supports Starr Ranch – point being, no Starr Ranch, no cam. And I receive no personal gain from this cam aside from the total delight in so many of you folks getting really engaged with these birds and so much else that’s wild through watching, asking and answering questions, and just caring. Thanks, Pete
Second clutch:
Egg 1 05/21/10 08:00 Hatch 06/21/10 3:00
Egg 2 05/23/10 09:00 Hatch 06/23/10 8:48
Egg 3 05/25/10 13:00 Hatch 06/25/10 7:00
Egg 4 05/28/10 16:00 Didn’t hatch
Female: At least 5 yrs old. Banded as minimum 2 year old on 03/07/07 approx 300yds south of cavity
Male: At least 7 yrs old. Banded as minimum 3 year old on 04/07/06 approx 300yds south of cavity
First clutch band numbers and who we associated with each:
907-04040 Egg 2 01/04/10 10:30 Hatch 02/04/10 09:30
907-04041 Egg 4 01/09/10 06:30 Hatch 02/09/10 03:15
907-04042 Egg 5 01/11/10 11:00 Hatch 02/12/10 16:30
907-04043 Egg 1 01/02/10 11:00 Hatch 02/03/10 06:15
907-04044 Egg 3 01/06/10 15:30 Hatch 02/07/10 03:00
These two didn’t survive:
Egg 6 01/13/10 17:30 Hatch 02/13/10 08:30
Egg 7 01/16/10 11:00 Hatch 02/16/10 01:45
Female: Unknown because band not read. But high probability is same female as second clutch.
Male: Same male as second clutch.
To see nest tree location use : 33°37′46.18″N,117°33′15.12″W in Google Earth or http://maps.yahoo.com
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THANKS to those of you contributing as you watch! Those watching and not yet pitching in, please think about doing so. A lot goes into making this cam available, including the expense of putting it on the internet for anyone to tune in. Pete
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Another hummingbird visit. I like that you can hear it before you see it!
Note on prey consumption. I’ll accede to what appears to be the removal last night of part of a wood rat’s digestive tract. Just keep in mind that these BNOWs routinely consume entire small mammals whole – dirt, fur, digestive tract (including fecal material), etc. all get eaten. So while they might get selective after tearing apart prey, their own digestion routinely handle some pretty nasty (to us humans) stuff. PD
I saw this show on TV yesterday that was kind of disappointing.
It was listed as the Superb Owl, but there were at least two things wrong with it that I can tell you.
Hummingbird visits the nest
smile……
Dad is blocking view (not that it isn’t nice to see him too). Unable to see number of owlets/eggs and health of owlets. Due to dad’s good hunting, the prey takes up the right side of the back area and mom migrates her brood more into the nook.
got it, will make adjustments, no problem!
5:41 Mom was up and 3 chicks visible. Could not count eggs.
5:45 Male arrives empty beaked. They copulate, and now he is chittering with a rodent in his beak. Acted like he wanted mom to take it, then gave up.
5:50 Male is now roosting, female has stopped rasping, and all is quiet.
5:57 male starts chittering and offers a rodent to the rasping female again.
Sorry to cause an uproar last night over what the female removed from the nest.
As Pete posted to the right in RED, if we could leave our posts to ob’s of the BNOW’s and not waste pages of posts trying to prove points over what it was…. that would be great.
PD is having to archive last years posts due to all the traffic here.
Page 1 is now March 17th.
Valuable info from last year is not available to us any longer.
Think about sifting thru all the chit chat here for info on what the owls are doing, but instead finding 50 opinions on whether something was a lung, a dead chick, a stomach, a colon etc….. seems a monumental task to find anything useful at this point.
Doesn’t matter, we can still count chicks and eggs if we get to see them.
I’m guilty chit chat too, but let’s try to keep it to what we see the owls doing.
Looks like it, Linda, we’ll see what PD has to say. It looks like the right color (lungs should be pink) and shape. Wonder why she sometime picks out empty ones too? Maybe this makes you a ‘rode (ent) scholar’ :)
Male is home – cop and drop!
I figured out what that disc thing is – it’s the colon. If you click on this link, you will see what a distended colon of a rat looks like. It makes sense that the owls wouldn’t want to eat something that contains fecal matter and bacteria.
http://ratguide.com/health/figures/megacolon_figure_3b.php
Susu ~ she does seem very particular about this one thing for some reason. Today it looks like a ‘full stomach’ – sometimes it is much flatter. I guess maybe we need a rodent gastroenterologist?
That is the oddest thing feather…if I look at it long enough it appears to be ‘tubular’…we need a resident rodent scholar! I think it’s brilliant that the way they tear into the food, seemingly willy-nilly, she still has the sense to dispose of whatever that bit is…everytime! Good Mum~
Seems that way to me too, but as it is in question and I’m such a novice at this, I thought the shots might help! Could the rodents in the area possibly be eating something she finds unacceptable I wonder?
Owlets eating and rasping – too cute!
I believe that is the stomach she has removed. This year I have noticed she does not seem to like that part of the rat. Just IMHO.
closest view
http://i614.photobucket.com/albums/tt228/oliviaowl/iexplore2010-02-0806-20-18-29.jpg
mystery disc #2 (a couple steps closer)
mystery disc exiting cavity #1
3 little owlets begin to stir on left side of cavity under Mom – can’t see all eggs, some in nook. Mom gets up and starts sorting through prey pile on right. She picks out… another disc shaped thing! Picks it up and heads right out with it. She is gone a couple of minutes and then returns to chicks. She is making this disc disposal issue quite a mystery :) I snapped a couple shots as she was exiting ritz, don’t know what I got yet.
Mum stepped out briefly and two of the owlets were visible. One appeared to be quite strong, raising it’s head and wobbling about a bit. The smaller one next to him didn’t seem to move at all. No sign of Three, who may be huddled in amongst the eggs.
There is a large prey item behind them near the back wall.
Mum is tidying up her feathers. Quiet…
2:17 am psd Mom in back of cavity on eggs and owlets, quietly preening. Owlets quiet. There’s a baby rasping now but just once
Lol–eggs, that is