The Owl Box

You may have heard that we've been keeping an eye on a mother barn owl and her 5 eggs for the past several days. They are in an owl box in someone's backyard in San Marcos and have become quite an Internet sensation. The eggs will be hatching any day and it's been fascinating to see the birds in their home and to witness what they do on a daily basis. We've even been able to see her eat a few times! Here's the link so you can check it out from home: http://www.ustream.tv/theowlbox

*A warning - the chat section can be a bit inappropriate at times for children. We always watch using the full screen version, where the chat window is not visible. This can be accessed just below the video window next to the sound.*

We've made many observations and hypotheses about owl behavior while watching Molly, the female. (McGee, the father, comes in very early in the morning and in the evening so we haven't seen him while at school.) We did a bit of research on barn owls yesterday so that we could learn more about what we were seeing (and it ties nicely in with our science standards.) Here are a couple of links in case you are interested in learning more too.

EEK! Critter Corner - The Barn Owl
Backyard Barn Owls
Barn Owl Facts (state of Washington)

We learned that the owls stay home for about 60 days before learning to fly. That means we'll be able to see them as they develop from inside the box. Too cool!