Our Owl Log

Colonialism

Well, the season is officially over. We checked the box this morning and found a huge Acrobat Ant colony in the camera compartment. There were eggs and hundreds of ants in there. There were very few in the actual owl nest compartment, so I doubt it was the ants that kept the owls away. This is especially true since the ants weren't around on March 7th, which was the last day any owls entered the box.
Better luck next season. If this ant infestation had happened during nesting, it would have been a big problem. Perhaps well have to use Tanglefoot (pine tar) next year to keep ants away from the box. Tanglefoot might present a problem for any owlets that fly out and try to climb back up the tree, though, so we'll have to think carefully about that one.
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April 1: Ants

Well, we have had no activity in the box since March 7th, and are just about out of hope. We don't really know what went wrong. Perhaps they didn't like the pine shavings. Perhaps the stray cats in the neighborhood scared or ate one of them. We may replace the nesting material this weekend. Either way, we'll probably take the webcam off-line so the computer doesn't have to run all day. She will either show up and we'll turn it on again, or she won't. In the meantime, we'll just have to watch Chris Johnson's owl and wish him luck.

As you can see, Acrobat Ants have taken over the inactive box. They came last year as well while the owls were nesting. They do no direct harm, but do compete somewhat with the owlets for cached food.
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March 15: Some Thoughts

As our Austin owlcam friend Chris Johnson has no activity yet at his cam, we still have hope that perhaps this year is just late in getting underway. Last year the first occupancy was not until March 17th. And as last year began with an egg and then a week of sporadic occupancy, the first viable egg wasn't laid until March 24th.

This year's drought could be having a negative effect on the insect and hence the reptile population, which could mean Mrs. Owl doesn't yet feel she has enough food to start a brood.
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March 10-12: Nothing New

No activity for these 2 days. We've been out on our kayak the last couple of evenings, so we haven't observed evening activities outside the box. But the video logs show no activity inside.
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March 9-10: Still Waiting

No activity yesterday or last night.
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March 8-9: Activity and Storm

In the evening, we watched the box inside and outside in hopes that Mrs. Owl would return, even if briefly. At one point in the darkness, I saw a light-colored shaped drop from the bushes to the ground. This may have been an owl hunting. But nobody entered the box.

Overnight, there was a big loud thunderstorm. I checked the box to see whether Mrs. Owl would take refuge in the box, but alas, no such luck.
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March 6-8: Flash Visit!

After 3 days of absence, an owl returned for a 30-second visit at 7:05pm on March 7th. We presume it is Mrs. Owl, because during the 30 seconds, the owl spent some time rearranging the nesting material to create a nest-shaped bowl in the wood shavings. Then she promptly left for the evening.

We had begun to wonder whether one of the neighborhood cats had gotten her. Owls are often cat victims, which is one of the reasons that many bird organizations recommend that owners keep their cats indoors. It turns out to be healthier for the cats, too. Cars, wild animals, cruel humans, and disease can all harm cats outdoors. Read more at http://www.abcbirds.org/cats

She didn't return to the box after that, and is not in there as of 8am. So she will spend another day outside the box. When will she nest?

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