Bird Cams Around the World

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Iris & Rusty

I know. I feel so sad for Iris & Rusty. Iris is trying so hard to keep those false eggs warm in frigid temperatures....hopeful for babies that won't come....sigh. At least they've had the opportunity to be parents in the past - twice that I'm aware of. To be honest, they would probably be good at fostering wild Great Horned owlets that are being rehabbed for release. I believe the Medina Raptor Center in Ohio has an adult non-releasable female Great Horned owl that they use to foster rescued owlets to learn vocalizations and behaviors during their rehab. The MRC gets so many rescued baby owlets in the spring. I would think it's no different in Minnesota. Once they pass mouse school, they are released back to the wild. Iris & Rusty would probably be great foster parents.

Hopefully the other owl cams will have successful nests - Montana and Alberta, Canada.

The International Owl Center has been most responsive to any questions I have posed to them about Iris and Rusty. It appears there are things the Center would like to do, but are hampered by the limitations of their permit and State/Federal laws. I questioned whether the owls could be used as surrogate parents and although the Center would like to do this, it requires 7 yrs experience rehabbing not only Great Horned Owls, but also other birds. This is not something they plan to do.

It looks like we will have to look to other cams (ie., Montana and Alberta, Canada) for Great Horned babies this year.

Well...there may be hope after all at OKC. Altera has been in the nest since about 6:30 pm and it is now 8:55 pm, their time. A good 2 1/2 hrs. She is very still and very relaxed. Perhaps she is feeling the coming of an egg? That would be something if she had a 3rd clutch.

WE HAVE an EGG!
February 1, 2017 shepnotes
Well well! She had a 2nd clutch - after laying 4 eggs in her first clutch which she abandoned. Will she set this egg?

I am very surprised. Shortly after 6.30 pm last nite, I thot I saw her pushing.

Since her first 4 eggs were eggzakly 3 days apart, they were her first clutch.
She ate the first 2

Thank you nadia and loza

Brave MOM, she never gives up

That's great news!! However, I'm a bit unclear on the 1st 4 eggs. The commentary on chat last night was that this was a 3rd clutch. Eating the eggs has nothing to do with it. If the 1st four eggs were indeed each laid 3 days apart over the course of say, 10 consecutive days, then that would indeed be a single clutch. Does anyone know when the very 1st egg was laid by Altera this season? I haven't been able to find the info. There should be several weeks between clutches.

OKC
3rd egg laid on 1/9/2017
Egg 4 jan 12
All I remember is a mod I trust said they were laid 3 days apart, 1 clutch.
There are a couple know-it-alls who insist 3 clutchs
http://www.raptorresource.org/forum/ind ... pic=2355.0

OKC fakebook page
http://www.facebook.com/OKCOwlCam

It really all depends on when the very first 2 eggs were laid. The ones that froze, cracked, and she ate. I can't find that info. I'm at the office right now and many websites are blocked for me, so I'll have to look into it tonight when I get home to my own computer. Thanks for the links Shep.

per polo - a trustworhy mod on OKC
EGG 1 was seen Jan 4
Thats the best your gonna find :)

polo
#1 was seen on 1/4
#2 was seen on 1/7
#3 was 1/9
#4 was 1/12
#5 was 2/1

hehehe

(pikky!)

Awesome! Thank you Shep. I was just about to look the info up. You saved me the work. Soooooo....you are absolutely right....this is Altera's 2nd clutch, not her 3rd. Wow...she lays lots of eggs. It will be interesting to see how many she lays this time. Thanks again for your help.

Thanks for capturing that Loza! She is such a beautiful owl. Maybe, just maybe we will get a chance to watch some baby owlets this year. Hoping for the best at OKC.

Feb 4
Thanks for the pic of 2 EGGS LOZA!

One of the Mods reported hearing mating sounds (6:11 pm Feb 3) when Altera left the nest for a short break. Mr. T heard hooting periodically in the distance.
I also heard them mating.
The IR didnt come on so I quit watching a black screen.