Nesting Great Horned Owls - Edmond OK

12/17/2024

I have had my nesting cam live now for a few weeks. If you happen to see Jack or Carol sitting on the nest, you might post it here with the time of day. Carol isn't actively sitting on the nest yet, but Jack comes in in the evenings and morning and hoots for her. I will make a video for YouTube soon as I finish getting my Christmas decor finished. I am running much later this year. This is Jack & Carol's eighth year to nest in my yard and they don't seem to be worried any more about another owl taking it over. In seasons past it seemed like Carol sat on the nest about a month before laying eggs and last year I think it was closer to a week. I think in nature they sit early to make sure the nest is strong enough to hold up to having eggs and chicks. They never add anything to the nest they use. They are dependant on hawk, squirrel nests or a hollow tree. The majority of those fail and they don't try again until the following nesting season. I think they feel pretty secure about their nest I prepared for them. Why go elsewhere when they can stay at the Ritz! 😀 I will post when I notice Carol is actively sitting on the nest so there will be something to look at. You can watch live here- https://okiebirdcam.com/home/
I did clean out the nest a few weeks ago and replace all the mulch. This is the first year Jack has approved of all the mulch pieces. When he finds a mulch piece he thinks might damage an egg he tries in vein to use his bill to get it out of the barrel. In past years I have climbed the ladder 10 times to take out each offending piece. So maybe I am getting better at choosing the mulch pieces :) I doubt he knows I am getting too old to be climbing in trees ;)
Anyway, I am looking forward to another year of Jack and Carol nesting. Thank you all for caring and watching. Happy holiday! I give a hoot! 🦉🦉

Great Horned Owl Nest Cam   View Great Horned Owl Nest Cam Videos OkieBirdCam is located on property certified through Oklahoma Wildlife Department’s “Oklahoma’s Wildscapes” program.

10/14/2024

Last night while working on my pathway by my waterfall I heard my great horned owls Jack and Carol calling back and forth for the longest time. I could tell Jack was by the creek and I assumed Carol was in the old dead nest tree. I came inside and noticed my nest cam with Carol on the rim of the nest. I ran in and hit record. I caught the last few seconds before she flew off darnit. I never thought she'd go check out the barrel this early. Guess they are hinting that I clean it out. It will be two weeks before I have time to start climbing trees. Here's a short video of Carol. I am always so happy to see them every season. HOOT! HOOT! 🦉🦉 And here's a young buck and deer this morning outside my kitchen window.
https://youtu.be/YERrbhvDDbI

04/27/2024

The last few nights Lil' Guy is spending more time on the edge than not. He is exercising like crazy. Man has he grown! He is getting too big for his britches :) 🦉

04/15/2024

https://youtu.be/YNGTinK-rsg?si=gdaaTFb_UftjBVNQ
Lil Guy could fledge next week, don't miss out!
Broad-winged Hawk, two Red-shouldered Hawks and over a dozen Crows mobbing Jack my Great Horned Owl. You will see Jack fly off to the right with the mob hot on his tail.
The next shot shows a squirrel below the bottom right of the barrel trying to sneak into the barrel to get Lil Guy. I was watching live and I didn’t think Jack and Carol could see the squirrel from where they were roosting. In less than two seconds Jack comes in and scares him off. I think Lil Guy was oblivious to what was happening.
The next scene shows Carol and little Guy soaking wet after it rained Lil Guy acts like he doesn’t recognize Carol.
The next scene is pretty funny. Lil Guy sees his first helicopter and he is pretty startled.
The next scene shows Jack drop off breakfast for Lil Guy and leave. He leaves the feeding to Carol. Lil Guy still is clueless on how to feed himself. A few minutes later Carol comes in to see what Jack dropped off and feeds it to Lil Guy.
Next you need to focus on the bottom left on the ground behind the tree. You will see a Broad-winged Hawk fly from the pond and to the playground fort and then to the playground roof where he preens for a long time.
The next scene shows Carol come in and lands on the right hand side of the barrel which she rarely does. Then she sidesteps all the way to the left side of the barrel before she gets in. I think she's a bit OCD. After feeding Lil Guy Carol grabs the leftovers and takes them to Jack.
Today I changed my live stream from rtsp to Ipcamlive Ultimate so hopefully more people can watch the live stream. You will probably hear the frogs at night. They are really loud when they sing. It still has the same address on my website. When Lil Guy starts branching out, if my 360 cam isn’t messing up too badly I might add it back. I hate paying for it when it isn’t working properly.
I’m not sure what the difference was with my last video. 5,200 people watched it compared to 500 or so on my others.
In the past years my owlets have branched out in 42 to 45 days. That will be next week, Friday the 26th. I can’t imagine Lil Guy being ready that quickly. I just hope the winds die down. For those of you that haven’t watched my owlets balance on the barrel edge, it is nerve racking to watch. In past years I have places a 6” thick piece of foam on the ground under the barrel in case they lose their balance. This is the most exciting time to watch, so make sure you share please!
Thank you everyone that has watched this season. I give a hoot!

Broad-winged Hawk, two Red-shouldered Hawks and over a dozen Crows mobbing Jack my Great Horned Owl. You will see Jack fly off to the right with the mob hot ...

04/11/2024

This is a video I didn't put on YouTube. A squirrel tried to get to Lil Guy but Jack saved the day!

Check out TerriUnderhill’s video.

04/09/2024

https://youtu.be/aqiPn7w-7-g🦉🦉

This is the video from April 3rd through April 8th. On April 3rd a red-shouldered hawk attacked Carol. He almost knocked her off the branch when she came in ...

03/30/2024

I uploaded a new video to youtube-

This is five videos together. It’s just over 3 min long. It starts with Carol bringing in prey 3-28-24 at 11:10 PM. Lil Guy is eager to eat.The next short cl...

03/30/2024

Carol is off the nest. Lil Guy is really big!

03/28/2024

Carol just got off the nest

03/27/2024

Carol is off the nest.

03/25/2024

https://youtu.be/7Wfe3hOY3Cs Carol seems to be leaving Lil’ Guy alone for longer periods than in the years past at 10 days old. Maybe so he can become more independent since he is an only child? His eyes are open and looking nice and yellow. He lifts his head and scoots around on his own a bit. Carol leaves the nest and comes back empty handed more often during the night. Carol has brought in 5 rabbits in 10 days that Jack caught.
In the second scene you see Carol fly in and land on the barrel edge and she looks down below the barrel. I think Lil Guy whimpered a lot while she was gone and attracted attention to the raccoons eating on the deck.
In the third scene it is hard to see but Carol brought in a small rabbit. Her wings were blocking the view of the rabbit in her beak. It’s funny to see how she always shakes the rabbit like a rag doll as if to make sure it’s dead.
The next scene is just scenic showing 7 deer passing through after eating at the deer feeder. Carol is pretty waterlogged after the hard rain.
The next scene shows Carol bringing in another rabbit. It is almost too big for her to carry. But she manages to drag it down the branch on the far left. You can hear Jack hooting in the background.
The next scene really shows how well Lil Guy’s peach fuzz is turning into feathers. The quills are very prominent and his body is so plump he is starting to waddle. His head is getting steadier and his bill is almost outgrowing his head. He’s starting to keep his eyes open more so I think he can probably see a few feet by now.
This last scene Carol is coming back to the nest during the day. It’s not too often she is off the nest during daylight hours. Moxie Pest Control came today and sprayed for ants. They spooked Carol off the nest so it was nice to see her fly in from her roost in the background. She is beautiful.
There always seems to be some kind of prey left in the barrel with Lil Guy so maybe he isn’t lonely all by himself. It won’t be long before Carol will be leaving Lil Guy alone for longer periods so he can get more exercise. Jack and Carol are always nearby to protect him from predators. I hope you enjoy seeing Lil Guy sprout up and Carol being a loving momma. I appreciate you watching. If you have any questions just holler. If you care, please share, I give a hoot!

Carol seems to be leaving Lil’ Guy alone for longer periods than in the years past at 10 days old. Maybe so he can become more independent since he is an onl...

03/25/2024

Carol is off the nest if anyone wants a good look at Lil Guy. 7:58 PM