Mama Owl's Eggs!

Well, it's confirmed! Mama Barn Owl laid two eggs (so far)!

Nice observation Mackenzie!

Click here for the original post and Live Barn Owl Cam.

Whooooo will leave a comment next?

More Owl Observations

Many of you have enjoyed watching the live Barn Own cam this week. Adrian and Alysah deserve a big thank you for sending in another amazing link! Check out Mr. and Mrs. Tiger, two Great Horned Owls hanging out in eight year old Alessondra's a planter box in Oklahoma.


Live streaming video by Ustream

For more information about Alessondra, her nest cam, and Mr. and Mrs. Tiger, click here.

Let us know what you observe by adding a comment!

The Barn Owl Channel

This is cool. Check out The Owl Channel live owl cam! Here you can watch wild Barn Owls (Tyto alba)  live 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They roost and nest in an owl box called The Hideout. A camera is placed inside The Hideout, others are outside to watch them come and go.

 

Live streaming video by Ustream

Today in Class Connect, we learned a few things about amazing Barn Owls like the little guy above. Here are the resources, if you want to check them out:

Barn Owl Presentation

Barn Owls from rsol68

Presentation Links

• Barn Owl Video - http://safeshare.tv/w/ViqVOmDRVQ
• Barn Owl Info - http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Tyto_alba/
• Live Barn Owl Camera - http://www.ustream.tv/channel/9579359
• Barn Owl Presentation - http://www.slideshare.net/rsol68/barn-owls-32412780  
• The Mighty Owl - http://mrssolsclass.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-mighty-owl.html

Don't forget to turn in your Class Connect Reflection before the end of the month!

For a printable PDF of the Barn Owl Reflection sheet, click here.

The Mighty Owl

In Book Club we are enjoying Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien. I read this book when I was in elementary school and loved it. This is the first time I've read it since, and it's just as good today! I am reading it with my boys and it's one of those books that gets a "Read one more chapter!" on a nightly basis.

If you are reading this book with us, you know that we are at the part where Mrs. Frisby makes a courageous trip to visit the wise owl. We'll this got us into a discussion about owls, which led us to this video, which left us all wanting little owl pets. (Don't tell Vamp.)

So incredibly cute. 

Owls are amazing creatures, with their silent feathers and their amazing night vision. They are pretty much the superheroes of the bird world. Plus they are wise... and quite intimidating.

A few interesting facts about owls...

Owls have been around for a long time. Fossil owls have been discovered in deposits dating as far back as the Paleogene Period. They are depicted in cave paintings in France that date back 15,000 to 20,000 years. Owls also appear in Egyptian hieroglyphics.

A group of owls is called a parliament.

Owls can be found on every continent, except Antarctica.

Owls are unable to move their eyes within their sockets to a great extent, which means they must turn their entire head to see in a different direction

Owls can turn their heads as much as 270 degrees.

Owls are farsighted, meaning they can’t see things close to their eyes clearly. 

Owls hunt prey that includes mammals, other birds, reptiles, and insects. They do not have teeth to chew their food, so they swallow their prey whole.

Owls have developed special feather adaptations that enable them to minimize the sound made when flapping their wings. This helps them silently swoop down on their prey at night!

There are 41 species of extinct owls.

Owls are a diverse group of birds, with over 220 species of owls belonging to the Order Strigiformes.

Week 5: Barn Owl Observation

Click the link below to spy on a real, live barn owl family! Right now there are two owlets living in the owl nest box. Ashley hatched on August 7 and Carrie hatched on August 8, so they are almost two months old! Depending on the time of day, you may also see the mother and father owls. You can tell who the dad is because he has a white chest and face.  

For this week's response, go to this Live Owl Nest Cam and tell me what the owls are doing!

Extra Credit: In addition to your observation above, send me one important fact about barn owls.

Your comment will not be seen by others until I approve it. Please respond before Friday, October 8th!