A lot of us kept us with these barn owls even though the cam was very hard to watch because it wasn't very clear. The owlets were almost ready to go out into the world when the parents left them a little more than a week ago so they had no food being brought in and very cold temps concerned the chatters that were watching. One of the owlets could be seen on cam dead and Felix turned off the cam. Chatters were going crazy wanting to know why somebody there wouldn't rescue or at least feed these owlets instead of watching them starve and die.

This is a cute video from EmmieJan showing these owlets on Dec. 6th.



Here is the update from Felix.

Owl Cam at Felix Neck

Monday, December 16, 2013

The Felix Neck Barn owl cam has been temporarily shut down. This year, a second clutch arrived late at the end of August. Four barn owls hatched from 6 eggs. The first of these owlets began to fledge in late November and the last would have fledged by last week. The adult owls left the box about a week ago and are living elsewhere on the property and at least three of the four owlets were flying in and out of the box on their own. Snowfall last week remained on the ground and temperatures have been cold.

These barn owls are wild birds; they are not captive or rescued birds. Their survival is determined by their fitness, capabilities, and other natural factors. While it can be difficult to just stand by, nature will take its course.

One owlet did not survive. The other three owlets were seen Monday evening. The cause of this mortality is unknown, though factors such as disease, prey abundance, competition from other raptors, cold temperatures, or snow cover may be individually or jointly the causes. According to Britain’s Barn Owl Trust, “starvation is thought to be the main cause of mortality. It occurs most often amongst inexperienced young birds soon after independence, during deteriorating weather and prey abundance in the autumn, and in periods of severe winter weather.” Furthermore, the Trust adds that though “low temperatures, snow cover, and rainfall can all have an impact on the owl's survival, they are usually much less important than prey abundance.”

In response to requests to feed these birds, it is important to note that we do not definitively know the cause of their mortality and research has shown that supplementary feeding of wild Barn owls (using dead poultry chicks and/or mice) is possible and can artificially increase the chances of survival but it is no substitute for providing prey-rich habitat, and will not assure the survival of these birds.

In one case from the 1980s and early 1990s in Iowa and Central California, it was observed that captive released barn owls, either adult or juvenile, usually die within a few days after such release. In Iowa, Missouri, and Wisconsin more than 1,000 barn owls were released from several release sites and only about 20 of these birds were found to still be living 3 months later. Mortality rates for young barn owls that die before adulthood has been reported to be 60–80%.

We understand the strong feelings around these birds, especially to those that have been watching them grow and rooting for their survival. The camera will be restored once the situation in the box has stabilized. Updates will continue as condition change.