Live Barn Owl Camera
June 26, 2008 Both chicks are still around, flying well, and continue to beg for food (or capture it on their own) throughout the night. However, you may or may not see them in the cavity during the day because they are comfortable roosting outside of it.
June 17, 2008 (7:30PM PST) Cam realigned. I expected the fledglings to bolt when I climbed to the cavity, but they didn't. In southern CA it's still fairly light here at 7:30PM and I had to juggle doing this adjustment (while I could still see) without bothering the fledglings. As it turned out they were aware that I was there, but really just sat there while I reset the cam.
June 17, 2008 - The cam was knocked out of alignment last night. Tonight I will realign it after the owls have left the cavity to hunt.
June 12, 2008 - Both chicks are beginning to spend time outside the cavity at night and can fly quite well. As the season progresses there will likely be less feeding occurring in the cavity. However, the chicks - and possibly the adults - will continue to roost in the cavity during the day.
June 6, 2008 - Some folks have contacted us about the recent honeybee activity at the cavity. There was a swarm nearby today that's apparently looking for a new place for a hive. Two years ago this cavity was taken over by honeybees when seven chicks were about the same age as the two are now. The chicks eventually fledged, the honey bees took over, the hive failed for unknown reasons, I cleaned out the old combs, and the barn owls returned. What might happen this time is unknown. However, the chicks are not being stung - annoyed maybe, but not stung; there's not much surface area on them that's "stingable" and the bees are searching and not aggressive. So let's keep watching. I think these chicks will do fine and it's possible that the bees will take over the cavity after they fledge. We shall see...
Barn Owls (Tyto alba) are one of the most common owls at Starr Ranch Sanctuary. This particular cavity (located in a eucalyptus tree) has been used by Barn Owls for the past several years. The two chicks you see hatched on April 5th and 6th. If you do not see the chicks, they are spending time out of view in the back left corner of the cavity.
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