The western screech owlets have grown up and left the nest. All but one of the eggs hatched, and everyone who hatched has fledged. Using Terry’s video clips, I have assembled a video showing some of the high points. For all of the videos from 2025 and 2026, check out Terry’s Owl Cam page.
The video below is a bit big, so may take some time to load.
Here is the Terry’s updated hatch and fledge data from the past seven years. The hatching times show some variation, but the time from hatching to fledging is remarkably consistent at 29 days.
Here at the lab, we are are lucky to have a close up view of nature. It’s a constant parade, with beetles emerging from their winter homes, ants swarming to start new colonies, winter birds leaving, summer birds arriving, and much more.
Carpenter ants swarming. A major worker (front left) guards the nest entrance while a winged male gets ready for his brief duty of finding a mate. 5/9/26
Four of five of the eggs in Terry’s nest box have hatched, and the owlets are growing rapidly. Of course, for each meal the owlets enjoy, a mouse, bird, or insect has a very bad day.
Dead mouse being delivered to growing owlets. 5/726
Snake in a Box
We have been tempted to add another bluebird box that has a camera so that we can watch the process of growth and fledging. I have been hesitating, largely because some broods do not survive and I am not sure that I want to watch that happen. My attitude was reinforced this week, when the female bluebird did not go into the nest box, and there was a something strange and pink sticking out of the hole.
When I opened the box, there was a large pink coachwhip snake inside. It had made a meal of the brood, even though the nest is on a pole about four feet off the ground.
Large coachwhip occupying bluebird box, having consumed most recent brood. 5/10/26
Looks like it will be necessary to add some flashing around the pole to make it harder for snakes to reach the box.
Lame Coyote
There seems to be a large crop of rabbits this year, which has led to plenty of coyote sightings. I see them at least a few times a week on morning surveys, and they show up regularly on the wildlife cams.
Terry was lucky enough to spot one finishing its rabbit meal, and fast enough to get a video. Another coyote, with an injured front leg, tries to share, but the first coyote is having none of it.
Coyote having breakfast, courtesy of Terry Morgan. 5/9/26
It is a harsh life out there, and a coyote that can’t hunt will not be able to eat. Animals can heal, so it may be back on all four feet and able to hunt again.
Four of the five eggs have hatched, and the parents are feeding them heavily with insects, rodents, and birds. The most recent videos are here. For all the rest, check out the owl box main page.
The western screech owls in Terry’s nest box are starting their spring activity. They seem to be slower getting started than in previous years. Nonetheless, there is nesting material in the box, and the male is hunting for food. Hoping for eggs soon!
If you want to see all the videos, including those from last year, go here.
Because it took so long to load when they were all on the same page, I have moved the owlet videos to new a series of pages. It’s slightly more hassle if you want to see all of them at one sitting, but it beats waiting what seems like forever for the pages to load. If you love it or hate it, use the contact link to send feedback.
The owlets in the nest box have been growing at an astounding rate, and are well on their way to fledging. The parents have been delivering food constantly, and the chicks get more active and inquisitive all the time.
Sleepy parent having a look out the doorway. Credit Terry Morgan, 5/10/25.
The parents have been out and about quite a bit, and seem unbothered by the presence of observers and paparazzi.
Parent, probably mom, resting in the late morning. 5/14/25.
Family Album from Past Years
This seems like a good time to reminisce about past broods. It’s hard to know how long these particular parents have been rearing young in Terry’s box, but screech owls have been nesting there for many years. Terry has many more excellent photos; here is a small sampling.
Parent resting on a chair on the patio. Credit: Terry Morgan.Four fledglings and a parent (far right) in the eaves. Credit: Terry Morgan.Fledgling on the patio. Credit: Terry Morgan.Fledgling in a pinyon tree. Credit: Terry Morgan.
The drama in the nest box continues. Based on past broods, he expects them to fledge on or about May 22. As always, stay tuned for more.
As Terry predicted, the eggs started to hatch last night. So far three of the eggs have hatched, which is a local record for simultaneous emergence. This may be the result of the female owl having left the first eggs on their own during the early days.
Three owlets sprawled on their siblings’ eggs. 4/22/25.
At the moment, the owlets look like fuzzy blobs, but in the video you can see three sets of wiggly heads, bodies, and wings.
Let’s hope for the other two to hatch successfully in the next few days.
In the past week, temperatures have shifted upward dramatically. It’s above freezing every night, and plants and animals have responded appropriately. There is so much to see.
We made a quick trip down to Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge near San Antonio, NM. The sandhill cranes are all gone, but there are plenty of ducks and songbirds. We stayed at a house near San Antonio, and were treated to a small group of wild turkeys. The females spent a lot of time foraging near the house, and a male would occasionally stop in and try to woo them.
Male turkey doing his fancy dance and looking just like a Thanksgiving centerpiece. 4/11/25. The download speed may not be quite enough for perfect streaming, so you may want to re-run it for a smoother experience.
There were also a few mammals, such as javelinas and coyotes.
Javelina at Bosque del Apache North Loop. 4/10/25.
We also came across an Eleodes, probably E. gracilis
Eleodes gracilis.
Back at the lab, spring is in full swing. Winter birds, like juncos and robins, have moved on, and summer residents, including lesser goldfinches and Say’s phoebes have settled in.
Some of the year-round residents, such as western bluebirds (and, of course, screech owls) are taking their jobs as parents seriously.
Male and female western bluebird staking out their new box. 3/15/25.
As added enticement, we replaced the old bluebird box with a shiny new one.
Stink beetles are very much making their presence known. One can now find multiple species of Eleodes on a casual stroll around the neighborhood.
Eleodes caudifera found wandering the street. 4/13/25Eleodes hispilabris on trail near the lab.
Now that the weather has warmed up, this month’s pitfall trap survey was a bit more interesting.
There’s plenty of traffic through the field with the traps, including this big, fuzzy coyote that strolled through the week before the traps were set.
Coyote casually wandering through the field with the traps. The rock behind its right rear foot marks one of the trap sites. 4/2/25.
We caught a few Eleodes sponsa in the traps, along with wolf spiders, ants, and weevils.
Eleodes sponsa after a few measurements i n the lab. 4/12/25.
So the natural world has gone from quiet to extremely busy this month. Don’t forget to check out the updates on the owl cam page if you have a few minutes.
Female owl snacking on some leftover mouse. 4/10/25.
Terry’s owls are getting serious about the business of parenting. The female appears to have decided that five eggs are enough, and is incubating them full time. The male has been bringing her mice, and she has been dining in rather than leaving the box to eat them.
Owls in the box. The male (right) has brought a mouse to feed the female while she incubates the eggs. The mouse is in her mouth at the bottom center of the image. 4/2/25.
Five eggs will be a pretty good brood if they all hatch and survive. For the next few weeks, she will be tending them, with the first egg expected to hatch about April 22.
For several years, our neighbor Terry has been recording and posting footage from his camera inside a next box occupied by a pair of western screech owls. He has always had a strong following on Facebook, but for those of us who do not use the platform, he has offered to make the information and videos available here on the Lab web site.
Owl resting triumphantly after removing the mirror that had been mounted on the upper right. 3/4/25.
Once again, they have prepped the nest box and have started to lay eggs. The first video clips have been uploaded to Terry’s Owl Cam page, along with his comments and a spreadsheet of data regarding previous broods.
New videos and commentary will be uploaded regularly, so stay tuned for plenty of drama and excitement. There are two eggs now, with more to come, and then it will be about another month before they hatch. Once the eggs hatch, there will be a festival of cuteness as the little fuzzballs eat and grow for roughly another month before they fledge.
