Watch the female Barred Owl keep her eyes towards the nest box entrance as the total solar eclipse passes through Indianapolis, Indiana, on April 8. The infrared sensor kicks on as the moon blocks out the sun entirely for a brief period.
Stay tuned for another amazing year watching the Wild Birds Unlimited Barred Owls. Watch live at allaboutbirds.org/barredowls for information, highlights, and a link to the outside view.
Interested in learning more about owls? Sign up for our self-paced, online course "The Wonderful World of Owls" from the Cornell Lab's Bird Academy: hubs.la/Q012pdgP0
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Jim Carpenter, President and CEO of Wild Birds Unlimited, has hosted a camera-equipped owl box in his wooded backyard since 1999. Set more than 30 feet high against the trunk of a pignut hickory tree, this Barred Owl box was first occupied in 2006. Since then, the box has hosted several nests, including successful attempts since 2013.
The camera system was updated in 2023 with a 1080p Axis P3265-LVE security camera and connected to Jim’s house via 200 feet of ethernet cable. To keep predators like raccoons from investigating the nest, aluminum flashing was wrapped around the tree. An infrared illuminator in the box means you can keep track of the owls’ comings and goings throughout the night (don’t worry-the light is invisible to the owls).
Since the birds aren’t banded, we can’t tell whether this is the same pair as in past years. Although male and female Barred Owls look alike in their plumage, females can be up to a third bigger than males. You can also tell the difference between them by watching their behavior; only the female incubates the eggs and chicks, but the male is responsible for the bulk of the feeding, ferrying prey items to the incubating female, and sharing them with her inside and outside of the box.
Learn more about Barred Owls in our AllAboutBirds Species Guide at www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/b....
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