Chris’ Eastern Screech Owl Nest Box Cam’ for 2000

The year 2000 eastern screech owl (Otus asio hasbroucki) nesting season is complete. Despite starting with sterile eggs, this pair of urban Austin, Texas, owls went on to great success; adopting a pair of orphan owlets on the day they hatched, and raising them into healthy fledgings capable of taking their place in the world. The parents still have a lot of work ahead of them as the owlets must be trained to fly and fend for themselves, but now that they have left the box, we unavoidably part company and wish them all well.

The live nest box cam' will be back next year, if the owls return. And if they survive the year, they will return. In the meantime, a collection of still frames and movies from the cam', as well as some color stills, are available below.

If you enjoyed the Eastern Screech Owl Nest Box Cam this 2000 season, please drop me a line with "Owl Guest Book" as the subject. No need to say anything more, unless you want to. Why? The web hosting service used by the cam' this year provides no page access statistics, and I'd like to have some idea how many people have been watching. (Your email address won't be used in any mailing list, or provided to anyone for any reason.)

A Parliament of Owl Images

February 2000

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March 2000

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April 2000

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May 2000

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Major Events

March 4 - First day-long occupancy of nest box by female.
March 7 - First egg.
March 8 - Second egg.
March 18 - A beneficial Texas Blind Snake is observed in the nest box. (Not evident in stills.)
March 25, 26, 27 - Male spends 3 days in box defending female from European Starlings.
April 13 - Sterile eggs replaced with orphan hatchlings.
April 19 - Color photos of 6 day old owlets.
April 23 - Color photos of 10 day old owlets.
April 24 - Color photos of 11 day old owlets.
April 29 - Color photos of 16 day old owlets.
April 30 - First day female spends outside the nest box.
May 5 - Color photos of 22 day old owlets.
May 7 - Owlets are banded, and color photos are taken (24 days).
May 11 - First "curious" owlet leaves the nest box (28 days).
May 12 - Second "shy" owlet leaves the nest box (29 days).
May 13 - Both owlets are alive, well, and roosting in the nest box tree (30 days).

Movies

QuickTime required. Don't worry, it's free.

March 22 - Short, typical food delivery to incubating female. (0:12, 1.5 MB)
March 22 - Long, atypical food delivery to incubating female, including mutual preening. (2:21, 17.3 MB)
April 19 - Female feeds a mouse to 6 day old owlets. (4:30, 33.7 MB)
May 9-10 - Twenty four hours in the life of the 26 day old owlets. (2:03, 34 MB)

Other Items

News items from the 2000 nesting season.
Photos, frames and movies from the prototyping phase of this project.

Related Sites

"View Nesting Birds" page - World-wide list of nest sites that can be visited via the Web. Active sites clearly designated.
OwlCam - Great content, and a proprietor who provided me advice on many occasions.

--[ Other Years | Chris W. Johnson ]--