(most recent on top)
Back To: April Calendar
4-30-2000: The owlets are in good voice, but June has not let me get another look at them. Ward made only two deliveries last night and only one mouse remained in the nest at dawn. June just fed the last of that to the owlets, so that Ward should get a very loud greeting when he arrives with the first meal tonight. The weather is good for hunting and he should not be having a problem. (11:55am)
4-25-2000: Still no hatching. June again took a fifteen minute break around midnight when she could be heard hooting loudly with Ward. When she returned to the nest, she again practiced the galloping sound she uses when feeding owlets. The weather was perfect for hunting and Ward made four food deliveries. He spent much of the day perched in a nearby tree where he could look down on the nest box.
4-24-2000: No sign of hatching, but the weather is improving and Ward was able to make five food deliveries last night. June took an unusually long (15 minute) break just after midnight when she joined ward outside for some loud hooting.
4-22-2000: Heavy rains resulted in no food deliveries last night. June called to Ward three times during the day and he responded quickly on each occasion. We are now experiencing a temporary break in the rain and Ward delivered a meal shortly after dark. No sign of hatching. (8:45pm)
4-20-2000: I'm slipping my predicted most likely first-hatching date three days (to Wednesday) based on 1998 OwlCam experience and a recent communication from an owl rehabber in Great Britain. It appears that the reference books are incorrect (at least for Barred and Tawny owls) when they say that incubation starts with the laying of the first egg. Even June's apparent part time incubation during the first three days was probably nothing more than guarding the egg. With rain returning, Ward managed only one food delivery last night and more bad weather is projected through the weekend. A delay might not be such a bad thing.
4-20-2000: No indication of hatching; but Ward took advantage of improved weather with an incredible night of hunting. He smashed his old records by making 10 food deliveries before dawn. June did not whine this morning and has been silent throughout the day -- Guess she is too full to hoot. Rain is projected for the next three days, so that Ward's task will again become more difficult.
4-18-2000: Another good night for Ward with four food deliveries before dawn. It's cooled off a bit and June is conserving energy by sleeping for most of the morning. She appears to have been spoiled by the large number of food deliveries that Ward has been making and spent almost thirty minutes whining early this morning. Ward just called home and June responded with both abbreviated and full Classic Hoots. She also squealed several times. (12:21pm)
4-16-2000: June spent most of the night doing some unusually vigorous housekeeping. She could be heard chomping on the woodchips and stirring them up with her feet. Ward had another good night with four food deliveries before dawn. June has been relatively quiet today, but responded enthusiastically to Ward's 10am call home. Hatching is possible as soon as the end of the week.
4-15-2000: Ward set another new record with five food deliveries before midnight and then took the rest of the night off. This was finally enough to keep June from whining this morning and she is now sleeping comfortably. She took her customary two breaks last nigh, but the second one lasted a surprising 15 minutes. This long break was for a visit with Ward and included loud hooting.
4-14-2000: Ward made four food deliveries before midnight. The first two were only seven minutes apart so that I suspect he had stashed one of them. June looks relaxed and remains glued to her eggs.
4-12-2000: June is now so intent on her incubation that she did not even climb up to the door to check out the coyote that walked directly under her nest box yesterday. She also ignored a pair of deer that passed by a day earlier. In 1998, she was often frightened out of the nest by such activity. Ward made only one food delivery last night and the temperature again dropped below freezing. June only whined a couple of times this morning and is now sleeping.
4-11-2000: Ward returned last night at 9:15 with his first food delivery in almost forty-eight hours. June accepted it as normal, so that I guess the "extra meals" he had delivered in the two previous days had prepared her. He delivered one more meal a couple of hours later. June took two eight-minute breaks outside the nest. It was unseasonably cold last night with temperatures dropping to 28 Deg.(F), but winds were calm. June is now sleeping in the sun and looks very comfortable in her nest.
4-10-2000: Ward did not show up at all last night and has not been heard for more than 24 hours. High winds and freezing temperatures prevailed throughout the night. June took only one six-minute break at around 10pm and seems reasonably relaxed today. She whined only a couple of times this morning, but must be hungry.
4-6-2000: The sub-freezing temperatures and high winds did not prevent Ward form making his two deliveries last nigh. He delivered both of them to the door, so that June did not have to leave the nest. She did however take two outside breaks which were limited to about two minutes each. Ward has not made any calls home for the last two days, but June is sleeping contently nevertheless.
4-5-2000: June has been even more dedicated to her incubation duties with her two nighttime outings limited to less than five minutes each. While she usually receives her food deliveries without leaving the nest box floor, she left the nest very briefly to receive both of last night's deliveries on nearby branches. Her main activities today have been sleeping, preening, and chomping on woodchips.
4-3-2000: Ward made three food deliveries last night and June did a lot less whining this morning. She has been so devoted to incubating her eggs for the last two days that I've not been able to see them on either camera. It's warmed up into the 60s (F) in the daytime and did not get below 50 last night. June is now chomping on woodchips as she continues her effort to turn them all into sawdust.
Back To: April Calendar