Starr Ranch Barn Owl cam

[Donna]

I'll give Pete credit for doing what he's doing, keeping the owlets alive. He really didn't have to and could just let nature take it's course, like most cams do. I know at first he did hesitate on the idea but look, they are well fed and mom is happy. Poor dad though, I feel so bad for him.

Thanks for posting Kris!!

[MAK]

  What a guy that Pete is to deliver! 

[Kris G.]

Audubon Starr Ranch Barn Owls

02/06/12 A note on the Male BNOW: In what I would describe as almost an impossibility or at least up against astronomical odds (and I think most biologists would agree) last Friday, 2/3/12, the male BNOW was found dead by Sandy’s field crew 0.6 miles north of the cavity in the corner of a grassland next to a small oak canyon. He was completely intact and appeared to have been dead for 2 or 3 days. Yet he’s been gone for approximately 2 weeks. What was he doing/what was happening to him during this time? A quick examine indicated no broken bones and no usual signs of starvation, such as diminished breast muscle causing a prominent keel. However, he is in the freezer and perhaps Dr. Scott Weldy from the OC Bird of Prey Ctr/Serrano Animal and Bird Hospital might be able to determine cause of death through some tests and necropsy. I believe it may be possible to test for anticoagulants that might have been picked up should the male have eaten a poisoned rodent (Note – no pesticides or herbicides are used anywhere on Starr Ranch but we are close by areas that do). It’s also possible that it might have been West Nile Virus, but I’ve been told that this is difficult to test for after the bird has been dead for as long as he was. Also, it just might have been old age. The Bird Banding Lab record for the oldest wild BNOW is 15 with 2nd and 3rd “place� belonging to BNOWs btw 12-13. This male was banded in 2006 at at least 3 yrs of age so he was 9 and could have easily been older. Bottom line is the male is confirmed dead and at this point from unknown cause(s)
 
A note on Fostering. The search continues for another cavity to foster some if not all of these chicks. Others and I have not given up, but this effort is very time consuming and often requires travel to remote areas that in some cases are now even less accessible because of road damage caused by flooding in Dec 2010. Nonetheless, we will press on. But I feel the need to raise something in hopes that it will better prepare you if we should be fortunate enough to find an appropriate foster nest. If we do the chances are greatest that the smallest chick(s) will be fostered. This means they will be removed from this cavity and you will not see them again. But more important it means they will have been given a much greater chance at survival than they have now. The supplemental feeding will continue, but as I’ve mentioned numerous times chicks require supplemental feeding by the adults for weeks after they fledge and it isn’t a given that continuing to put food in the cavity will get used at this point. Pete

[Donna]

Oh that poor dad. Amazing they even found him. Pete's an awesome man and I know he's doing the best he can at this point. I do hope they find a nest for the little ones. Thanks Kris.

[Kris G.]

This little one is younger than the oldest by 11 days but he/she is a fighter!  The video is long but shows Tiny's determination to survive. All the Owls are getting fed very well with mom taking her time to feed the 2 youngest while the 3 oldest feed themselves.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XyK9XHQaOc#

[Kris G.]

The Owlets received their bands today!  Kudos to Pete for delivering nightly supplemental feedings to this family since Jan. 19th after the death of the dad. They're doing great!

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/owl-342031-desimone-chicks.html?pic=2

[Donna]

This is happy...yay!! Except for dad. Good job in keeping them well fed!!

[Kris G.]

Video of "Tiny Mite"-#5 Owlet-so named because of its ability to beat the odds with its mouthiness and agressiveness despite being the youngest.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvDgR3PVTk#ws