When you
see a barred owl hunting in daylight, you can bet that it is in serious
need of a meal. They will not expose themselves to the harassment that
drove Ward into the nest box today if they are able to meet their needs at
night. Because owls depend on their hearing as much as their
vision to locate their prey, the high winds and snow we are now experiencing make life especially
difficult for Ward. The new OwlCam camera caught him today as he sat in the nest box
with bright sunlight streaming through the door onto his face. I had been
hearing the crows and smaller birds fussing for several hours before they
drove him into the nest.
After
listening to the angry birds swarm around the nest for about ten minutes,
Ward climbed up the new owlet ladder (seen on his right in the upper
picture) and leaped down to the owl rail. He then snapped at the few
remaining birds for a couple of minutes before flying away to resume his
hunting. After his experience on the 17th, I suspect that he will eat his
next catch before it has a chance to freeze. The wooden appendage that can
be seen on the far side of the nest box is the new equipment room for the
second OwlCam camera.