You can see 2 of the 3 downy Barred Owl nestlings below the attentive female in this photo, but be sure to take a look at the live cam views and highlight videos too.

Now you can monitor the development of 3 newly hatched Barred Owls during April and into May as they mature toward fledging from inside their nest box in Ohio. After more than a month of incubating the clutch of 3 eggs, the female’s dedicated efforts were rewarded when the first 2 nestlings hatched on Easter, March 31, and the youngest nestling followed 2 days later on April 2nd. You can watch the activities as the nestlings are brooded, fed, and permitted to spend time on their own inside the big nest box via the live-feed camera positioned in Wild Birds Unlimited’s big nest box, with another camera positioned outside the nest box to show the action when the male brings food or when the female takes a break outside.

During our first look at the nestlings 5 days ago, we were lucky enough to see the female stand up and leave the nest box, providing a clear view of the 3 downy nestling owls as they huddled together. After a few minutes, the big female returned and positioned herself over the downy nestlings to brood them again.

Hatched with closed eyes and covered in fluffy white natal down, the newly hatched nestlings weighed about 1½ ounces each. The female tends to the 3 nestlings, warming them by brooding and feeding them pieces of prey that the male brings to the female. Soon, when they are 2 weeks old the young owls begin to develop a brown-gray secondary down, and the female gradually reduces the time she spends inside the nest box.

Barred Owls are generalized, opportunistic predators, and the male has delivered an impressive variety of prey to the female inside the nest box as she incubated. Prey animals have included small mammals, crayfish, and small birds to date. You can monitor the daily, and nightly, action at the nest at via the live nest cams at WBU Barred Owl Cam | Interior and Exterior Owl Nest Box Camera Views | Wild Birds Unlimited and Barred Owls | Cornell Lab Bird Cams Cornell Lab Bird Cams (allaboutbirds.org) You can also see video highlights of the downy nestlings, and of prey exchanges between the adults. The WBU Barred Owl Cam presentation is a partnership between Wild Birds Unlimited and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. You can also learn more about Barred Owls at the Cornell Lab’s All About Birds website at Barred Owl Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

To check in on a second species of owls, see the new Great Horned Owl live cam positioned at a nest site in Austin, Texas at Great Horned Owls | Cornell Lab Bird Cams Cornell Lab Bird Cams (allaboutbirds.org)2024 (youtube.com) The first nestling to hatch emerged last Thursday, April 4th, with the second nestling hatching Saturday. Check in regularly to watch the progress as the young owls mature.