Barn Owl action cam

[Hummer]

A friend from Estes Park is a bird bander, owl researcher, author and bird rehabber. This year he built and put up 10 Barn Owl boxes in places along the Front Range. A web camera was installed in one box mounted on a garage at a farm area outside Lafayette, and soon after a pair of Barn Owls took up residence. We've watched as the male brings mice to the female and young. So far, about 7 of the 10 eggs have hatched. The female begins incubation with the first egg, so the young hatch in stages. The first hatched are larger and consequently the younger owlets have a harder time competing for food. It's hot in the box during mid day so you'll notice that the birds are panting to keep cool.

It's great fun to watch: www.carriep.org/







I also have a Barn Owl box that was used by American Kestrels for the second year. Kestrels are the smallest North American Falcon, and I usually have 1-3 pair nesting on our farm each year. This clutch had 5 young, and all fledged in the past week. The adults are very protective of the young as they prepare to fledge, and when I got close to the box to get pictures they would dive at me at ~60 mph and swoop by my head. Once, the male actually whacked me on the head, fortunately with a closed fist rather than open claws. Lots of drama with baby kestrels in the yard this week.





Here's the male Kestrel hovering:




And, Kestrel young from a box mounted on my house:



Have a happy 6th of July!

[kidicarus13]

Very cool

[Irving]

I've always wanted to build a bat box (there are bats here), but what are the chances of me attracting something cool like an owl if I build something like that?

[Hummer]

I've always wanted to build a bat box (there are bats here), but what are the chances of me attracting something cool like an owl if I build something like that?

Location is important, Irving, but if you are adjacent to a field or wooded area, the chances are very good of getting kestrels, owls or flickers. I helped some folks mount boxes in their front and back yards, and they had Kestrels nesting the first year. They were in a subdivision next to a field.

I have 9 owl boxes on the property and get small owls roosting in my boxes every winter, and sometimes they will nest. Here's a Western Screech-owl and a Saw-whet owl that nested in our yard.






Right now we also have an American Robin nesting in a small basket mounted to the house, and a Western Kingbird nesting in our rain gutter. I try to make it a good place for wildlife of all kinds. ;>)

[Irving]

Do you have cats?

[Hummer]

Do you have cats?

Indoor cats only. Any feral/free roaming cats on my property get trapped and removed.

[OtterbatHellcat]

That's pretty neat with the birds, Hummer.

[ray1970]

Pretty cool.

I have a birdhouse. The wasps seem to love making a home out of it.

[Irving]

Just thinking with all those areal predators around, it may be hard to have outside cats.

[Hummer]

Just thinking with all those areal predators around, it may be hard to have outside cats.

Well, the Kestrels might harass a cat near it's nest but the little falcons and small owls aren't big enough to kill a cat. They eat mostly mice, lizards, grasshoppers, crickets, and small birds. I've seen Kestrels kill starlings several times. Barn Owls probably wouldn't tackle an adult cat, but Great Horned Owls will. It's common to find cat skulls under Great Horned Owl nests, and along the Front Range domestic cats comprise about 5% of the typical Red-tailed Hawk diet. It's a dangerous world out there.

I sometimes get wasp nests in my bird boxes, but I'm hell on wasps with a blow torch.