Owl Photography and Videography in Your Backyard: Part #1

It will take quite awhile to go through all the digital photo and video documentation of the 2012 Screech Owls. Thought I'd share some cute owl videos for now. Backyard birding and photographing and videoing them go hand in hand. Having taken up photography again as a hobby after many years the owls make the perfect subject. Owls are unique in that they are quite evocative and you get to know them as individuals and realize they are each unique.  I've found that since my last serious foray into photography technology has evolved to where "point and shoots" and "bridge" cameras can rival much more expensive cameras and dedicated video equipment. This video was shot with a Canon SX40 HS 12MP 35X Optical Zoom Digital Camera superzoom bridge camera which is about the size of an SLR, but has an all in one 24-840mm lens. This is an amazing camera if your expectations are realistic and you understand the limitations of auto focus and stabilization. Price is around $400.

Shorter Version

A little more drama in the extended cut!

Red morph and grey owlets - two obviously distinct personalities!

These HD videos were taken on May 8th before dusk at the full zoom 840mm setting. If you try and get too close to the nest box they get nervous and retreat or act unnatural - at a reasonable distance they find you fascinating to observe - always an ego boost, and act more natural. This requires zoom power. The area in the video is roughly 6 inches by 8 inches - in the original 1920x1080 it looks amazing on a large HD TV. This video is reduced in size for uploading to the web. However, you must use a solid tripod to get these kind of results. I'm impressed with the low-light capability of this camera and the sound quality from two microphones on the front to provide stereo audio. The bird calling in the distance is very clear.  My point and shoot Cannon SX230HS that most of the photos and video documentation was taken with is almost as good, but the zoom only goes to 14X, or about 400mm.  Cannon has just come out with the SX260HS with 20x zoom capability at about the same price point. 

Many people complain that the pictures taken with these super-zoom cameras are not as clear as expected - the reality is that no amount of image stabilization or auto-focusing is going to completely overcome handshake and hunting for a subject at high zoom levels. More on amateur photo/video in your backyard in future blogs.

Screech Owl Nest Box Experiences and Advice Part#1

Having made bird feeding and watching a hobby, a suggestion to check out other bird houses while shopping online lead to the purchase of a Stovall Screech Owl nest box. We'd occasionally seen larger owls around the neighborhood at night and gave this a try. The nest box was filled with wood chips included in the package and put up on a 12 foot long 2x4 attached to a post on our backyard fence in early December 2010. As near as I could tell this was less than ideal, but as good as it was going to get.  On February 27th, 2011 we noticed something looking out of the nest box and in fact, a Screech Owl had taken up residence.

Stovall Screech Owl Nest Box

Occupied Stovall Screech Owl Nest Box 

 Note:   If you make your own nest box please make it out of cedar wood. This Blog post will explain why pine is not a good idea.

Apparently we were lucky to have owls so soon. We did not have a camera in the nest box so our involvement consisted of watching the owl off and on during the days. We were not really that tuned in to the owls lives, nor aware of their progress in the reproductive cycle. I ordered a nest camera  in April, by then we could see feeding activity around dusk. I realizing there was no way to put it inside at this late stage, so I set it up outside very close to the box. These videos were collected on that first night:

Nightime Feeding Videos from 2011 Season

We were lucky -the next day they were gone! I now know that this night of April 24th, 2011 was the final feeding frenzy at fledging just as we saw this year on May 10th.  We were hooked - things were not so easy for 2012, there were a lot of trials and tribulations that I will share in the coming weeks.

  

No Sleep After the Midnight Shift

By May 4th it was getting too crowded and hot in the nest box during the day and the Mother Red Morph Screech Owl began spending her days in a nearby Palmetto Tree relatively open to the outside world. This puts her at risk and this type of behavior is only seen with the small owls when they are guarding the nest box to protect the owlets which could be easily taken by other birds of prey. The day before a pair of American Kestrels attempted to claim the nest box while Mrs Owl was inside with the owlets - they made only a token effort before being chased off. If the mother wasn't there the outcome would have been different. So on this day she was close to the box and in the open. She had been up all night feeding the owlets with the old man and would typically get some sleep in the tree. Although this morning - it wasn't going to happen!  Nearby birds and their babies are making too much noise and if she would be discovered by Blue Jays or Mockingbirds they might attack her as she has no advantage in the daytime so she needs to remain vigilant even though she is exhausted.

Mother Screech Owl trying to get some rest while guarding the nest box.

Why The Nest Box is So Clean!

Empty Screech Owl  Nest Box May 12th, 2012

When I cleaned out the nest box last spring 2011 after last years brood left the nest I was surprised at how clean and fresh it was. A few palmetto bug wings and that was about it. The nest box was just as clean after the owlets fledged on May 11th this year. The nest box contained a few small insect parts and the wood chips were relatively fresh. Considering that the mother and 3 owlets spent about 60 days in the nest box eating dozens of lizards and frogs a few snakes and mice and probably several hundred large insects that's a pretty amazing feat. I learned that an Owls digestive system is unique  - rather than spoil the area in and around their nest with excrement and the remains of their victims their digestive system absorbs nutrients and water  from what they eat and they regurgitate the undigested parts as "pellets" away from the nest area. If you really want all the details check out the link.

Father Screech Owl "throwing up"Expelling a pellet

I happened to catch the male owl expelling a pellet on the evening of April 30th as he sat in an oak tree near the nest. With one way in and one way out of their digestive system - they obviously have to clear out the previous nights undigested food before they feed again. As soon as its dark he will begin taking food to the nest to feed mom and the three owlets. Mrs. Owl collects all the regurgitated material from the baby owls as well as her own and expels it in a nearby tree it first thing when she leaves the next at night. This results in a clean nest that does not attract pests and predators. Screech Owls obviously produce small pellets compared to other owls and they can be found around the yard occasionally.  Being omnivorous their pellets contain a quite a selection, but it is clear the diet consists primarily of palmetto bugs, beetles and  small lizards - some hair/feathers and pieces of wood chips are typically found as well. 

Screech Owl Feeding Frenzy

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Screech Owl Feeding Owlets 

 One of the most action-packed and exciting times to observe screech owls is at fledging time. (Note: I did verify that fledging is a real word) The first owlet fledged on the morning of May 10th and hid in a nearby Palmetto tree leaving two owlets remaining in the nest. All three are totally dependent on the parents and hungry. Feeding  of the owlets begins immediately at dusk by both parents. One after another they bring food to the nest box and to the owlet in the nearby tree. Due to the demand for food they seem to go for low-hanging fruit in the form of readily available and catch-able insects rather than assorted reptiles and small mammals. Which reminds me of a future column - don't use pesticide in your back yard if you want to attract and keep owls - but I digress.

These seven pictures were taken between 836 and 9pm on May 10th - and do not cover all the feedings  - just the ones I could catch with my camera with flash on a tripod. In future posts I'll discuss owl photography and basic equipment. But in this case I was sitting quietly on a bench within 15 feet of the nest box with tripod set up. After two-months the owls are very tolerant of us and will go about their business as long as we do not approach. The hour between 830 and 930 pm this night was the most amazing and gratify part of providing the Screech Owls with a home. The following evening the two remaining owlets left the nest while we held a small fledging party.  They certainly gave more to us than we to them - they will be missed until next year.
 I've recorded a large volume of stills, sound and video during the past two months and will continue to retroactively post our experiences with the Screech Owls.

Florida Eastern Screech Owls Feeding Baby Owlets Outside Nest Box

Goodbye To The First Born of 2012

Female Red Morph Eastern Screech Owl about to fledge.

The largest and oldest of the three owlets hatched on April 10th and left the nest this morning (May 10th) right on schedule. This is no doubt the eldest sister of the three and she will grow into a Red Screech Owl judging by the coloration of the feathers around the eyes and the pigmentation of the eyelids - taking afterher mother. This owl has quite a personality and we got to know it well. She spent most of the last 4 full days in the box looking at the outside and us with great fascination - the feeling was mutual.

Meet The Parents!

Male Grey Eastern Screech Owl

Female Red Morph Eastern Screech Owl

These pictures of the father grey Screech Owl and mother "red morph" Screech Owl were taken this evening as they perched in their usual positions. The father has been a permanent fixture in the tree behind the nest box for 3 weeks while the mother moved out of the nest box about a week ago as it was getting a bit crowded. She perches where she can keep an eye on the nest box during the day and occasionally makes a quick trip back and forth to the nest box. The male is smaller than the female and seems to be the strong silent type - hardly moving or changing expression all day long. The female is on guard duty! Neither of them seem to mind too much if their picture is taken.

HELLO!

Screech Owls About to Fledge

 

Photo and video taken evening of May 8th, 2012

I wont start at the beginning as real-time events are unfolding rapidly. We've been blessed with a family of Screech Owls reproducing in a nest box in our central Florida backyard the past two years. This year we were prepared with a nest box camera for inside the box and a new camera to document the events outside.  The owls first claimed the nest box on March 10th of this year and  the 3 eggs were lain on March 13th, 16th, and 18th. and hatched on April 10th, 11th, and 12th respectively. Fledging typically takes about 30 days and they should leave the nest around May 10th through the 12th. The picture of the two largest was taken last evening and its clear the first born is ahead of the others and close to fledging on schedule - perhaps tonight or tomorrow.  Both parents have been feeding most of the food in the early evening to the largest who dominates the entrance and has about fallen out of the box several times.

A large amount of video has been captured for posterity.  In the coming months the photos and videos will be processed and observations of the Screech Owl as well as a telling of the history of our association with these amazing creatures will be posted to this blog and the companion video site MyBackyardBirding on YouTube. If you love little owls - stay tuned !