---

Comments

Barred Owls 2015 — 2,483 Comments

1. Here is a blurry pic of last years baby

   

2. This is their tree from last year.

3. 7:09am Female is resting on egg. looking comfortable, warm n dry.

4. 10:15pm She is back. Dry too. Thought I added this long ago.

5. Though it was thought that barred owls start incubating immediately, this article says barred owls may indeed delay incubating the first egg. http://www.godsownclay.com/TawnyOwls/Articles/DelayIncubation/delayedincubatio.html

6. My favorite photo of today. Her egg was on the way. Very majestic she is.

   

7. Perhaps she is delaying incubation. Even more interesting about these owls. Need to read about that.

8. One hr and 50+ minutes, since female left nest.

9. I have a comment awaiting moderation about their feathers.

10. Hi Lynn, yes larger food they shred. They also like to fish. Their flight is silent from fringed flight feathers that muffle any sound from the air passing through their feathers. Very interesting!

11. I hear sounds outside the box. Hope the parent comes back soon. Another worry. Can’t wait to see her come in.

12. Hi Fran,

    I read that too about swallowing (smaller) food whole. Female had a chipmunk and she shredded it, I was surprised, but guess she’s trying out the task.

    What a fantastic day!

13. 6:40pm Heard movement and she had hopped up. The egg is alone in the box, but strong feeling egg isn’t “alone.”

    The female and male were cooing n what a greeting they had.
    Is it his roll to keep watch as she stretches her wings? Exciting.

14. Two owls! Female hops up and two are hooting simultaneously.

15. I read that Barred Owls swallow their prey whole. Their stomach acids will digest the soft parts and then they regurgitate a “Pellet” with the bones and hair. It said if you look for the pellets on the ground you will find it’s favorite eating spot from it’s perch.

16. Heavy steady rain there. So glad she is warm n dry with her egg.

17. Mike,
    Excellent job adding the extra shavings and all. Great timing.

18. 2:37pm Female rotates herself and takes a look at her egg. Got a couple good peaks, too.

    Breezy day, the soft downy feathers in the nest box are moving.

    Aw we await the arrival of her mate. There have been sounds outside the box that hint perhaps he may be close.

    He will bring her food I have read, but what is his roll now?!!
    Look forward to their interactions with each other!

19. Hi Lynn,
    Your welcome! I was reading on the link that I provided that the hoo-hoo, hoo-WAAAHH is used in courtship. That is the call I would use to call our Barred Owls in here at home. No wonder I had so many fly in . Too funny!!

20. Hi Fran, TY much.

    Glohar54 mentioned The Owl Pages in SS. I did skim there, looking specifically for the egg laying process, without success. Glad you found it. She sure seemed in a labor pose. She stood and preened, then gently rolled the egg#1 underneath.

    Would seem #2 is not likely today according to documentation. But, will look for even more specifics, if there are any available. What an event to see it happening Live. This is great.

21. 12:24pm She began preening, fluffed, stood up and rolled the egg under her. Saw one leg but couldn’t see if she has another egg.

    Before the egg this morning she circled and settled in. She has not repeat that, but she was sitting in a “labor” pose and remained nearly motionless for the last 3.5 hrs and off of the egg until now. (glohar54 used the term labor, I borrowed it.)

22. Breeding: Barred Owls call year-round but courtship activities begin in February with breeding occurring between March and August. Males hoot and females give contact calls. As the nesting season approaches, males chase after females giving a variety of hooting and screeching calls. Males display by swaying back and forth, and raising their wings, while sidling along a branch. Courtship feeding and mutual preening also occur. Barred Owls nest in cavities and will also use abandoned Red-shouldered Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk, Squirrel, or Crow nests. Eggs number 2-4 and are white, and almost perfectly round, with a slightly rough texture. They are likely laid every 2 to 3 days and incubation begins with the first egg laid. Incubation period is 28-33 days. The Male brings food to the female while she is on the nest. The Barred Owl is single-brooded but has a long breeding season, which allows for laying of replacement clutches if the first clutch or brood is lost. When the young leave the nest, at about 4 weeks, they are not able to fly, but crawl out of the nest using their beak and talons to sit on branches. They fledge at 35 to 40 days. Once they lose their down, there is no difference between adult and juvenile plumage.
    Parents care for the young for at least 4 months, much longer than most other Owls. Young tend to disperse very short distances, usually less than 10km, before settling. Pairs mate for life and territories and nest sites are maintained for many years.

    Mortality: Barred Owls have been known to live up to 32 years in captivity and 10 years or more in the wild. Most deaths are likely to be related to man (shootings, roadkills etc). Great Horned Owls are their only natural enemy. http://www.owlpages.com/owls.php?genus=Strix&species=varia

23. 11:48am She has been incredibly still and last I came to check in was 38 minutes ago and she hasn’t moved at all. Tail is high. She slightly quivered once and other than that, a photo now would be almost identical.

    Steady rain once again. Coming down harder by the sounds.

24. Pic

    

25. I think mate might be close by. I keep hearing faint sounds on the wood and she is not moving when I hear them.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.