Chris -- SCREECH OWL nestbox 2013

[Kris G.]

yeah, the color photos mixed into that daily slideshow are amazing, and it's always worthwhile to run through the dailies, at double-speed if you're in a rush - stuff goes ON in there!!

They are amazing! Some of the expressions on mom are as hilarious as the owlettes.

[Paul Hamilton]

They drop backwards out of the box and then start flying?

Wow!

Paul

[dale]

They drop backwards out of the box and then start flying?

maybe when they do a food drop, Paul - not sure. Often they are facing out and launch from that position.
Here are two more of the killer set of shots from the other day...plus one more, to test your sanity

[dale]

owlets, anyone? Chris has been mixing a few nighttime outdoor flight shots into the daily 500-capture slideshows. They're stunning. In the meantime,

[Dumpsterkitty]

[margaret]

"Yep, tomorrow is Monday!"

[dale]

Two owlets can get up on the perch as of yesterday, and at least one is hanging at the entry hole and watching the world. Things are wild and crowded!

[dale]

April 10 – There’s been a lack of clarity of the images from the side video camera. It's a safe bet around this time in nesting that enough wet adults have hit the window in front of the camera with their wings, and enough inquisitive owlets have poked, prodded, and even tried to climb that same window, that some grunge has accumulated. Therefore, during a lull in the food deliveries at 5:33 AM, I brought the box down to clean the window, and, I thought, to take some owlet photos. The box came down, I opened it up, found what I expected: four owlets playing dead. But one was ruining the effect by adding bill clapping sounds to its “dead� impression. Giving it an ear rub would quiet it (and seem put it to sleep, like rubbing a dog’s belly), but it would always open its eyes again and start the bill clapping sounds. ...
(much more to read on the owlcam page)

and a few pictures from the last few days (talk about the hairy eyeball, Ei!):

[Dumpsterkitty]

LOVE THEM!!!!!!!

[dale]

interesting in the dailies is that Chris will insert a color flight shot from outside in chronological order, so you'll see an adult owl approaching the nestbox, with the next capture from inside, owlets going ballistic to get whatever food item that adult had been bringing in.

owlet wing, owlet silliness

[Donna]

   

[dale]

hahahaha - yeah...every year there are some of those. isn't that insane? I wish they were more focused!!

[dale]

aha. here's a more focused cyclops shot.
One or more of the owlets seems to be spending a LOT of time sitting in the entryway. Otherwise, things look pretty crowded indoors, with someone always playing Dracula and someone clowning around, flapping, etc.

[dale]

26 incredible color flight shots mixed into the 3/12 slideshow
http://gargravarr.cc.utexas.edu/owl/2013/20130412/
and owlet family portrait, hopefully, after tomorrow!!!

Chris posts:
April 12 – ...It appears that every owlet can now climb into the entry hole, but none are going very far into its three inch depth, so their primary goal in doing so, at least at night, is to grab all of the food deliveries until they’re full, at which point they go have a rest on the nest box floor, and some other owlet moves into entry hole. You'll see them in a number of the photos either waiting for, or receiving, food. (When they sit in the entry hole during the day, it’s to take in the sights and sounds.)

Tomorrow afternoon I anticipate bringing down the nest box for the annual attachment of the owlet rail, and owlet family portrait. The weather forecast is favorable, and it doesn’t look like the owlets are anxious to leave the nest between now and then (fingers crossed), so I hope to have some good owlet photos for you in the April 14 update.

By the way, to safeguard against future hosting problems, such as those that kept this site down for two and a half weeks earlier this season (my thanks, once again, to everyone whose emails, etc. fixed that problem), I’ve registered the domain “ChrisOwlCam.net�. Currently, that address just takes you to good old “gargravarr� at UT Austin, but it could take you to an alternate host in the future.

[dale]

there will be some owlet photos, apparently. In the meantime, after the owlet rail installation, one immediately took advantage of it!

April 14 – 9:35 PM CDT – Owlet no. 1 left the nest box an hour or so ago. As soon as I noticed it disappearing into the entry hole (or exit hole, in this case), I went outside to watch it. It spent a long time on the owlet rail evaluating its options, and even being fed a time or two by mom and dad. Then it executed a perfect jump to a limb near the far end of the owlet rail, climbed as high as it could on that limb, and leapt across the gap to another limb, clambered up that to a small branch, and stayed there so long I had to give-up my watching. I assume it’s still there, contemplating its next move, and, I’m sure, hoping for a food delivery or two. I’ll be doing my best to check on its whereabouts throughout the night.