EGGSciting News!

Well, as I mentioned before, a nice owl couple has moved into our Owl House.

Click HERE and HERE if you missed my other owl blogs.

These photos were taken with an infared video camera, so the quality is not the best, but honestly, I think it's amazing!

After three months of canoodling:



And snuggling:  (Video HERE)

And finally on the first day of spring.... an EGG!





First egg was laid on March 20....



Then about every other day after that another egg appeared!



To see Dolly taking good care of her eggs, click HERE



And as of right now we have 4 eggs!

Mommy Owl (who I've named "Dolly")  is taking good care of the eggs, and daddy owl ("Diego") is bringing mom lots of lovely and tasty meals!

Want to see some video of our owls having a snack? Click HERE And HERE




The clutch size varies, and commonly may be up to eight eggs, although typical clutches are from 3 to 6. The female owl lays one egg every two or three days and begins incubating immediately after the first egg is laid. The eggs are incubated for 30 to 33 days. The chicks hatch in the order they were laid, which results in siblings with as much as two weeks age difference between them.

During the incubation period, the female remains on the eggs almost continually. She is fed by the male, but nevertheless, loses much of her stored fat. During this time, the hen becomes skittish and cranky, as would any mother confined to the home for such a long period. [amen to that!]  While she is reluctant to leave the nest unguarded, if she is forced to flee in a state of panic and fear, she may not return and the nest will be abandoned. For this reason, it is wise not to disturb a nesting hen during the early part of the breeding season.