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Live Owl Cam: Watch Baby Barred Owls Sunflower, Millet, And Peanut In Nest Box With Photos And Videos

By Charisse Van Horn
Published on: 12:34 PST, May 4, 2017

Three barred owls have become a viral sensation after their live owl cam went viral. The owls are Sunflower, Millet, and Peanut and their cam is owned by Wild Birds Unlimited president Jim Carpenter. Wild Birds Unlimited has partnered with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, making the live owl cam a joint effort. Cornell Lab of Ornithology has the owl cam on YouTube, making it freely available to everyone. The actual cam is located on Carpenter’s private property in Indiana and is nestled in a large tree where mom freely comes and goes, bringing food for her babies. You may see photos of the owlets as well as the nesting box in the tree below. You may watch the live owl cam in the following video player. Included in the playlist are important videos that chronicle the baby barred owls moments since hatching.

Watch Live Owl Cam Starring Sunflower, Millet, and Peanut

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzJSe9QnMPV98K7ml56CJP8jKVUuzErKa

According to Carpenter, the eggs were laid on March 5, March 7, and March 9. The first egg hatched on April 6, the second on April 8, and the third baby owlet hatched on April 10. Baby owls stay in the nest for approximately four to five weeks, before venturing out and making their first flight or fledge.

Barred owls are recognized by their hoot that sounds like they are saying, “Who cooks for you?” and “Who cooks for you all?” You may hear mom barred owl as she hoots from the nest box back in March when she was still brooding her eggs in the video player below.

Barred owls are very vocal creatures and you can hear the mother bird as she hoots to her mate from within the nest box. She is still incubating the eggs and a third owl hoots back and forth with the owl pair. Live cams, such as the barred owl cam, give us an inside look at nature that we might not see otherwise. The barred owl cam gives us a new perspective on these birds and how they vocalize with one another. You may watch the video where three owls vocalize back and forth below.

The actual hatching of the three baby owls wasn’t captured on live cam. This happens frequently when the mother is incubating the eggs and covering them. On April 5, 2017, photos were taken showing the three eggs in the nest. At approximately 9 p.m. ET, April 6, 2017, mom moved and the glimpse of the first owlet was revealed. You may see video footage of the first sighting of the owlet below.

After the first owl hatched, the mother ate the egg shell. This is normal behavior and the mineral content helps the mother maintain her strength. Here is a photo that was taken from the live owl cam when mom owl was eating the egg shell.

On April 7, 2017, while watching the live owl cam, viewers noticed a pip in the second egg. The pip occurs when the owlet is chipping away at the shell from the inside out. Here is a picture of the first owlet and a pip in the second egg.

The second owl’s hatching wasn’t caught on video, but it was determined that the owlet hatched on April 8, 2017. Though there isn’t a video, you can see a photo of the second owlet after hatching. You can also see a photo of both owlets taken on April 8.

Here is a video showing the first two owlets together.

The black-and-white photos and videos are a result of the night vision or infrared technology the live owl cam uses. You can tell if it’s night or day based upon whether the live feed is in color or not. Here are some daytime photos showing the two owlets together after hatching.

On April 9, 2017, there were only two owlets, and an adorable photo showing the two sticking out from under mom was shared on social media networks. The third owlet hatched on April 10.

On April 10, 2017, mom left the owl’s nestbox and when she did, three owlets were revealed. You may see photos and videos of the three newborn owlets below.

The owlets have shown incredible growth since hatching and in just a few short weeks have changed in appearance and personality.

By April 19, 2017, the owlets were noticeably bigger.

On April 24, 2017, photos and videos captured of the owlets showed how much they’d grown.

Many following the live owl cam have expressed amazement at how fast the owlets are growing.

A contest was set up for the naming of the owlets and on April 25, 2017, the names Sunflower, Millet, and Peanut won. You may see the infographic that featured the names selected in the poll and how many votes were counted.

Have you watched Sunflower, Millet, and Peanut via the live owl cam? Are you going to continue watching the little owlets until the fledge? Feel free to leave your comments, thoughts, and opinions in the section below.

[Featured Image by Thanakorn Hongphan/Shutterstock]

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