Springtime is birthing season for many wildlife species. This spring, over 62,000 people watched and listened remotely as the first of six barn owl eggs hatched in real-time via an N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission’s live web camera, affectionally called the “Owl Cam.”
It’s the first time NCWRC has offered a live wildlife camera viewing opportunity to the public, and staff say it has exceeded expectations.
NCWRC staff say over the next few weeks, viewers will see the owlets losing the last of their baby down, start exploring and leaving the barn and learning to hunt. As the owls fledge (learn to fly), viewers will see their clumsy failure attempts too. Feeding the owlets continues to be a fan favorite. Since hatching, viewers have watched both parents bring food to the nest with delectables such as rodents and rabbits to feed multiple hungry owlet mouths.
There are three cameras inside and outside the nesting box. The public can click “Other Views” on the task bar to change camera angles.
The fledglings may leave the barn as early as July to start hunting on their own. Barn owls disperse singly in random directions in short moves, staying for a period before moving again in search of a territory. They could ultimately disperse hundreds of miles.
Visit NCWRC’s Barn Owl webpage for more information.