01/18/25 4:00 PM PST I’m sorry that the Cavity cam is down, though have to say that recently there have been various (and random) errors that have been difficult to troubleshoot. So I’m trying to sort them all out. Among other things I’m working with Jorge on this. He’s a SUPER wiz at so much of this stuff so I’m confident that he’ll be able to zero in on the probs. Thanks. Pete
01/15/25 4:00 PM PST I just went through some weird issues to try to get the Cavity and Bat cams back up. Certain things said they weren’t working and certain things said they were. And I was getting inconsistent views on different browsers. Like Firefox at first wouldn’t show the Limb cam, and then later it did. But in the meantime Chrome showed it. And at first Firefox only showed the Limb cam but now shows all the cams. And now Chrome only shows the Limb cam. Auuugghhhh!!!! Anyway, I’m glad at least 3 of the 4 cams are back up. Next step is to config a new Trail cam and get it mounted and running. Never a dull moment… Pete
01/13/25 11:00 AM PST Update. So far we haven’t lost power again, but the winds are still gusting strongly so who knows? And NOAA still shows a red flag alert through Wednesday. Any case, I’m waiting until things die down before I start trying to troubleshoot and fix the entire setup of cams. In the meantime I see that the limb cam is working again, but I have no clue as to why. I didn’t change it and after the last several power outages it didn’t come back on. I also thought it was one of my Nest cams that Google stopped supporting and that I had to replace. Go figure… Pete
01/11/25 8:30 PM PST Our power came back on yesterday afternoon, but it may be turned off again soon due to renewed high winds (though right now not too bad). So given how much goes in to restarting the two working cams every time we lose power and all the other stuff like firing up generators, keeping our frig’s and telecomm going, etc. I’m gonna wait until this blows over – excuse the pun – to try to get us back to “normal”.
Sigh, never a dull moment… Thanks, Pete
01/08/25 Due to some really high Santa Ana winds yesterday and through the night our power was shut off for safety reasons this morning, ironically right when the winds died down… Any case the 2 working cams are currently down and it may take me a bit to get them back up because I’m also trying to trouble shoot various network problems that are frustratingly inconsistent – i.e. some hardware is affected and some isn’t. I’m also going to try to focus on getting the other cams back up. So thanks for your patience and stay tuned. Pete
10/31/24 As some of you may know, last September the “Airport Fire” in southern Orange County burned 23,000+ acres immediately adjacent to Starr Ranch. While none of Starr Ranch burned, acres and acres of pristine coastal sage scrub and native grasslands on Starr Ranch were bulldozed in an effort to keep the fire from getting to neighboring Dove Canyon and Coto de Caza communities should it have advanced in that direction. Needless to say, we were heartbroken.
Over the last almost 30 years Sandy has worked incredibly hard to successfully protect and restore a lot of this now bulldozed habitat using tens of thousands of hard raised funds. Now the work must start over again. Sandy has already been trying to line up researchers to monitor and help restore these devastated sites. The link below will take you to a page that tells more about what happened and allow you to donate to help with Sandy’s efforts should you desire to. (The text of the link may look odd, but it’s legit.)
https://audubon.stagecoachdigital.com/web-view/1683434
On a separate note, Jorge and I are working together to try to get a new BNOW cavity cam in place before next breeding season as well as get the two cams that have been down for a long time restored.
Thanks, Pete
06/10/24 From Emma:
Starr Ranch Eggs 2024
Egg #1 – 4/22/24 – 8:30 am / Hatch 5/27/24 – 1:06 am
Egg #2 – 4/24/24 – 8:30 am / Hatch 5/29/24 – 12:20 am
Egg #3 – 4/26/24 – 9:39 am / Hatch 5/31/24 – 3:44 am
Egg #4 – 4/28/24 – 11:44 am / Hatch 6/2/24 – 2:04 am
Egg #5 – 4/30/24 – 3:21 pm
Egg #6 – 5/3/24 – 2:25 am
06/09/24 A follow up to what’s directly below. I tried something and it worked. Cavity cam should be up again and visible in Firefox and Chrome. Pete
06/09/24 Hi Folks. Our internet went out and when I got it restarted I had to recreate and update in Word Press a new URL for the cavity feed. Well, in Firefox you now get an error in that video window but if you scroll down in it you can open the feed in a separate window and seems to work fine. Though right now the cavity feed doesn’t work at all in Chrome. I’ve contacted Jorge and asked him to fix this, but in the meantime this is all I can do. Sorry for the hassle. Pete
05/10/24 Emma asked me to post the egg dates so here ya go:
Egg #1 – 4/22/24 – 8:30 am
Egg #2 – 4/24/24 – 8:30 am
Egg #3 – 4/26/24 – 9:39 am
Egg #4 – 4/28/24 – 11:44 am
Egg #5 – 4/30/24 – 3:21 pm
Egg #6 – 5/3/24 – 2:25 am
And thanks to all who sent, or will send, an “Egg Pledge” donation! Very much appreciated. Pete
04/15/24 Well, the Cavity Cam is finally back up and I was also able to get the Bat Cam to display. Though the Nest Cams (formerly know as Drop Cams) on the Trail and Limb are still not functioning. Google bought Nest Cams a while ago and I recently learned that they no longer would support the earlier Drop Cams, which happens to be the one on the Trail. So I will get a new one for it. As for the Limb Cam, I have to troubleshoot it some more. It’s a really simple set up yet I yet to be able to pinpoint the problem. Thanks, Pete
04/07/24 Thanks to an email from Emma today it spurred me to go up to the cavity this evening to see what was going on. A week or so ago the OC Bee Keeper Association folks (who were REALLY great) were here and removed the abandoned combs. But I thought they said there were some other active combs behind those and they’d have to come back. So I was waiting on them.
But I decided to go up there anyway to check things out after Emma’s email. Well, before I climbed up there this evening I rattled the ladder a little and 2 Barn Owls flew out of the cavity! And when I got up there the cavity was totally free of combs and there were also two fresh pellets. So they’re BACK!!!
Now I have to focus on why the cavity, and other cams, aren’t working. Uh, as it’s been said – it’s always something… But I’m on it. Stay tuned. And thanks for your patience. Pete
03/17/24 I’m REALLY sorry about the cam problems, especially the cavity cam. Right now I have been unable to successfully trouble shoot it and with the bee combs still there, along with a few bees, it’s difficult for me to safely get up there to inspect the connections. I’m also still waiting for the OC Beekeepers to schedule a time to come out to remove the combs. So, again, I’m sorry and hope you will bear with me. Thanks, Pete
03/15/24 Our power went out this morning around 8AM PST so cams are down. SC Edison is saying that it should be back on around 12:30PM PST. Also, I’m still waiting to get an appointment with the OC Beekeepers to have them remove the combs. Pete
02/26/24 I reached out again to the OC Beekeepers Association and my thought now is to have one of their people experienced in working with honey bees and being up in a tree come out to to safely remove the abandoned combs and also deal properly with the remaining “scavenger” bees that are still coming and going. So stay tuned… Pete
02/22/24 I went up to the cavity today anticipating I’d be able to remove the abandoned honeybee combs, And while bees were coming and going and didn’t seem to mind me, there where 50-75 of them on the comb. So I decided not to chance it and will be back in touch with the pros from OC Beekeepers to see if it still would be safe for me to remove the combs.
BTW, from what I saw the combs are not as huge as they look on the cam. But they’re certainly big enough to keep the BNOWs from using the cavity. Any case, I will continue to try to deal with this. Pete
01/17/24 I talk to a professional bee keeper today and she confirmed that the hive/combs has/have been abandoned. So I’ll be going up there shortly to remove the combs and also clean the cam lens. And, hopefully, get the limb cam – as well as the trail cam – working again. Thanks for your patience and understanding. Pete
10/23/23 Here’s the link to Carl Safina’s and Kevin McGowan’s Cornell talk on owls with a focus on Carl’s new book “Alfie and Me”. I hope it works… Pete
10/09/23 Hey gang, sorry for the late notice! My good buddy of over 40 years and well know scientist and author, Carl Safina, will be giving a web talk tomorrow with Kevin McGowan at 10AM PST via Cornell University’s website about OWLS (details below). I thought y’all might be interested so immediately below is the link if you want to register and join in. Pete
APEX PREDATOR – OWLS AND HUMANS IN A SHARED ENVIRONMENT
Owls are fascinating and elusive birds — masterful hunters and age-old symbols of wisdom and knowledge. While their acute senses and physical adaptations help them survive and succeed in nature, owls have a curious charisma and surprising social skills when closely observed.
Join owl expert Kevin J. McGowan from Cornell’s Lab of Ornithology and ecologist Carl Safina, author of Alfie and Me: What Owls Know, What Humans Believe, for an in-depth look into the complex lives of owls and how humans might live among them in harmony and with respect.
10/03/23 After almost a month of SoCal Edison replacing our power poles and conductors with more fire resistant gear and having our electricity go off and on multiple times during this effort I think we’re now back up and should, hopefully, have uninterrupted service going forward. So I’ve reconfigged and updated the Cavity and Bat cams and they should be live. Next is to try to get the Limb and Trail cams back up… Thanks for your patience. Pete
9/28/23 We’ve been running on a generator for the last 8-9 days and will be until 10/2/23. But about a half hour ago it shut down due to a malfunction and I’m currently waiting for a replacement. So the cams will be down due to this wait. And when we’re powered back up again I can try to reset the cams. However, we’re due to have normal power turned back on 10/2/23 so the cams will go down again during that switch over and I’ll have to reconfigure them once more at that time. Thanks, Pete
9/22/23 I saw a comment or two about the beehive – like wondering how big the cavity is and if the hive is hanging outside it and may fall. The cavity is huge. For example, when I’ve been up there and reached to the back of it from the lip I can’t touch it. So the cavity floor is a good 24″ in diameter along with the “pantry” that has a lot of space to the left. Also, a good portion of the euc above the cavity is hollow. Recall we’ve seen more than on chick “disappear” up there from time to time. The hive is also totally inside the cavity as far as I can tell. Not the greatest pic, but I think one can see there doesn’t appear to be any part of it sticking out. Pete P.S. I just noticed possomtrot’s question about size of cavity opening and the hive. I estimate that the opening is about 24″ tall and at least 18″ wide and the hive is currently filling all of that.

9/18/23 OK, we’re now running the entire south end of our HQ on a SC Edison generator. It’s quiet and working great. So should be like this for a couple of weeks and then we’ll be put back on the grid and should, hopefully, have no power interruptions again. In meantime I was able to recreate the Bat Cam stream but am having problems doing the same with the Cavity (aka BeeHive) stream. Can’t seem to get the Alibi digitizer to reload the stream. But have contacted Jorge who is quite good at figuring out how to fix stuff like this. Sorry about this current mess, but I’m pedaling as fast as I can… Pete
9/8/23 I’m sorry about all these cam issues, but they’ll likely continue until after SCEdison finishes redoing all our electric power infrastructure. And this is going to be going on into early October. For now the Bat Cam seems to be working and I’m working with Jorge to try to fix the Cavity Cam feed. And, alas, when our power was turned back on again yesterday afternoon the Limb Cam didn’t restart. Sigh. It’s always something… Pete
9/1/23 I have no idea why this happened, but when SoCal Edison turned our power back on late yesterday the Limb cam started working! Now I have to get into YouTube and create new URLs for the Cavity and Bat cams to get them running again. But I don’t know why the Trail cam is still down. Pete
8/31/23 Starr Ranch electricity comes via a 12K volt line about a mile long and over a lot of open space. In an effort to prevent the poles and wires from causing a fire, SoCal Edison just began replacing our 13+ poles with ones made from a composite that doesn’t burn (and is also Acorn Woodpecker proof…). They’ll also be replacing the conductors with ones that are insulated. Part of this means that our power will be intermittently out, the first day being today, and at some point will be out for a week or so. During this longer period they will provide generators, but it still may be difficult for me to keep the cams going. This project is scheduled to take most of September. So if the cams are down, this is almost certainly why. Thanks, Pete
8/22/23 A couple of things:
1) Hillary didn’t really affect Starr Ranch much at all. The winds never got bad, though we did get 2.53″ of rain. That amount of rain was not a problem infrastructure-wise, but may have implications for Sandy’s habitat restoration. Basically, and as all of us SoCal folks know, we NEVER get rain in August. The rainy season at Starr Ranch is usually October through April. But this recent rainfall has a good chance of giving the invasive weeds that Sandy keeps getting rid of a “jump start” on growing, making the field season that much longer.
2) I saw some suggestions about getting a “watering hole” set up with a cam like I’ve done in the past, and I’m happy to do that. However, there still is quite a bit of water in Bell Creek so most of the wildlife goes there for a drink. But once things start really drying up, I will set up something.
BTW, Our FY24 budget season has started and Sandy and I are trying to raise some bucks to keep the wheels on Starr Ranch, especially the habitat restoration that requires 4 seasonal field assistants. So any donations would really be appreciated.
Thanks,
Pete
6/21/23 Regarding the Honey Bees (I also posted this as a reply to the thread below). Thanks, Pete
Thanks for the heads up, Paddy.
To All,
This same thing happened before at this cavity right around the time the chicks had fledged. Honey Bees built a hive in there, but soon after abandoned it. I eventually cleaned it out, but once they’ve been there I suspect that there are some residual smells, pheromones, etc. that may draw them back again. What just happened seems to be case in point.
I was hoping to get up there after the BNOWs fledged to try to figure out why the limb cam isn’t working and fix it and also change the cavity cam. But if the bees take up residence, I don’t see how that will be possible.
So I guess we’re now in a “wait and see” mode. Though I can say now that if the Honey Bees stay, they’ll be what we might be able to watch. I won’t take any steps to remove them. Long ago I tried to make it known that we’re just getting to watch a natural situation unfold. If BNOW’s, American Kestrels, Honey Bees, or anything else establishes a home or roost there, so be it.
I decided on this approach after the male stop returning with much needed prey several years ago. The 4 (as I recall) chicks were too small for the female to leave and hunt. He was later found dead by the field crew here about 1.5 miles north of the cavity in a grassland. I took him to the OC Bird of Prey Center, but Dr. Scott Weldy told me he was too far gone to determine a CoD. However, by his band I knew he was at least 10 yrs old and I think the current longevity record for wild BNOWs is still 15 yrs old. So maybe it was old age… Anyway, after 3 days of no male returning with prey the chicks were clearly starving. So I bought a hundred frozen rats and was throwing them in the cavity every night for several weeks.
All the chicks eventually fledged, but I likely doomed at least some of them because, as you know, the adults continue feeding them for up to two months post fledging. Without the male around to help out some of them almost certainly starved to death. So I told myself I would never set them up like that again or interfere with whatever natural situation unfolds at this site. I hope that you understand.
2/21/23 Gretchen needs to change our web host. She said that this should be seamless, but in case the page is down it should be back up in a day or two. Thanks, Pete
2/17/23 The power will be out for most of the day at Starr Ranch because SC Edison needs to do some maintenance on the lines. So cams will be down. I’m hoping that by 4pm PST I’ll be able to get them running again. The Cavity and Bat cams, that is. I still haven’t figured out what’s wrong with the Trail and Limb cams. Thanks. Pete
1/23/23 I have been working with Jorge to try to fix all the cams. But the problems are a little bit baffling. I still don’t know why the Trail and the Limb cam aren’t working and Jorge recently identified a failed hard drive in the PC that powers the Cavity and Bat cams. So I’m trying to deal with all this but the fixes haven’t been straight forward. Sigh… Pete
8/22/22 Hey y’all, I’m really sorry about all the cam probs and will try to fix them ASAP. Was taking a little vacay last week but now am back in the saddle. Any case, I think the Cavity and Bat cam are now back up after a little switcher meltdown that I luckily was able to quickly fix. But the Trail and Limb cams are still frustrating me about why they aren’t working. Nonetheless will try to focus more on fixing them tomorrow. Thanks again for your patience. Pete
8/8/22 Trail and Limb cam update. I’m having a lot of trouble trying to isolate why these cams aren’t working again. Typically, when we have a power outage they automatically come back online when power is restored. But this time it didn’t happen and I have yet to figure out why not. I will keep trying and appreciate your patience. BTW, being so darn hot here these days just adds to my frustration… Thanks, Pete
8/6/22 OK, the Cavity AND Bat cams should now both be back up, though I still need to troubleshoot the Nest Cams that are on the Limb and Trail. I’m quite sure I’ll figure them out, but for now that they didn’t automatically come back after our power was restored baffles me. Stay tuned… Thanks, Pete
8/4/22 Tomorrow, Friday August 5, SCEdison will be cutting off our power to do some maintenance. This will likely be between 9AM and 3PM PST, so the cams will be off. When power is restored it will take me a bit to recreate the YouTube Cavity and Bat cam URLS and restore them to the page. Thanks.
Pete
3/4/22 I cleaned the bat cam lens today so hopefully you now have a clearer view of the box. Am also looking into buying a new cavity cam that has a built in mic so I can replace the current cam and not have to deal with a separate mic. So stay tuned. In meantime pls know I’m peddling as fast as I can… Thanks. Pete
1/28/22 I’m really sorry, folks. I’m just having a lot of trouble getting the cavity cam to show again on the page. Jorge and I are in touch so hopefully will be able to figure out soon. Pete
1/27/22 Sorry, but I’m having trouble getting the Cavity and Batbox cam YouTube feeds restarted after our power was restored around 4:30PM PST today. I just contacted Jorge who I know will be able to bail me out of this mess as he always has… In the meantime, thanks for your patience. Pete
1/27/22 Cams will be down for most of today as SC Edison replaces a power pole. Should be back up again around 5PM PST. Pete
12/09/21 We have been part of the CA Mountain Lion Project for a very long time with many cougars having been GPS collared at Starr Ranch and, as of last count, at least 5 using Starr Ranch’s Bell Canyon as a major movement corridor. Recently, The CMLP partnered with FLOAT to try to raise a few bucks via T-shirt sales. So if interested, visit: https://float.org/collections/california-mountain-lion-project. Thanks, Pete
11/28/21 Cavity cam should be back up. Sorry for the delay. As usual, Jorge helped walk me though the process once again… Only thing left to do is try to figure out why the Cavity and Bat cams don’t auto play when you load the page. Pete
11/26/21 Our power is back on as of 11AM PST and I was able to recreate the YouTube stream for the Bat Cam and get it back up. But am having trouble with the Cavity Cam. May turn out to be a cam hardware problem. Any case, I’ll attack this problem early next week. Will be a lot of cleaning up of wiring and connections, which I hope are the easy fixes to the current problem as well as the flaky audio and interference often seen on the video. Never a dull moment… Pete
11/25/21 Cams are down due to high winds staring last night and SCEdison cut our power for fire/safety reasons (There’s a 12KV power line that provides us our electricity running over almost a mile of dry grass and coastal sage scrub – so we get it…) Any case, winds are supposed to be calm again by tomorrow AM (Friday). If so, and and as soon as we get our electricity back, I’ll relaunch the cams. Pete
11/12/21 Thanks to some tips from scylla and Jorge – and me finally realizing that I had copied the wrong link, DOH!!! – all 4 cams should be up again. Sorry for the delay. Pete
11/11/21 Still having problems getting new YouTube feeds going for the Cavity and Bat cams. At least Firefox doesn’t like it although it was just a cut and paste of a new URL over an old one. Pete
11/10/21 I’m having trouble relaunching the Cavity and Bat Box streams. I’ve contacted Jorge, who as we all know is a whiz at this. So I suspect he’ll get them back up ASAP. Pete
11/9/21 SC Edison has to do a pole repair at Starr Ranch so our power will be down today from about 11AM thru 3PM PST. All cams will be off during this time. Also, it may take me a while to get two of the feeds back up that use YouTube streaming once the power comes back on. They’ll need new URLs. Thanks, Pete
8/12/21 I just took the HOFI cam offline and will put it back up if/when the HOFI’s return next spring. Chances are high that they will. Pete
5/11/21 I just took the Trail Cam offline and replaced it with a House Finch cam for now. I just noticed today that the HOFI’s had a nest at our office and, as luck would have it, the cam from last season was already in place. However, I’ll still monitor the trail cam and post vids when something interesting walks by. Like Earlier this Morning…
3/16/21 Interesting that the male has been a no-show for a while. Could be something happened to him, but also could be that he’s getting in the “mode” of roosting outside the cavity as he eventually has in the past as chicks start hatching and it starts to get a little crowded in the cavity. However, it seems a bit early for that. Any case, let’s just see how things unfold. Pete
3/14/21 Hmmmm, 32 days since first egg laid? First hatch should be soon…
In meantime, for those who sent me their t-shirt info as part of your egg pledge I need a little more time than anticipated to send them to you. I’m reluctant to go to the post office due to this covid mess. However, I’m fully set up at the ranch to weigh and print correct postage. The down side is that the USPS is getting pickier about what they’ll allow to be left at our mailbox for pickup. They’ve twice returned a t-shirt to Wynne that had the correct postage. It was because it was “bulky” that they didn’t accept it (?!). And this was not done by our really great mail carrier, Tim. It had gone through the system after he picked it up so he was compelled to return it. Any case, I ask for your patience. You’ll eventually get your t-shirt. Thanks. Pete
3/3/21
Thank you EVERYONE who donated to the 2021 Egg Pledge! This means A LOT to Sandy and me and really helps Starr Ranch. And also to PLowrie who kept this all organized so well!
For those who donated $5 or more, this is the T-shirt link for you to go to so you can provide the info I need to send you a Starr Ranch T-shirt. It uses the “old” Starr Ranch website look so there might be some bad links in the right side bar. But the form should work fine.
Note: I have plenty of T-shirts except that I’m out of Short Sleeve Adult Medium. Sizes tend to run large so, if you think you’re a medium, a small would probably work. Pete
2/24/21 Latest egg dates:
#1 – 2/12/21 – 9:13 am
#2 – 2/14/21 – 12:39 pm
#3 – 2/16/21 – 5:52 pm
#4 – 2/18/21 – 9:38 pm
#5 – 2/21/21 – 2:03 am
#6 – 2/23/21 – 11:40 am
Pete
2/21/21 Thanks to all who are pledging a donation/egg or contribute to Starr Ranch in other ways! Given that Sandy and I have to raise a few hundred thousand dollars every year to keep the wheels on Starr Ranch, this all helps! Eggs laid as of today:
#1 – 2/12/21 – 9:13 am
#2 – 2/14/21 – 12:39 pm
#3 – 2/16/21 – 5:52 pm
#4 – 2/18/21 – 9:38 pm
#5 – 2/21/21 – 2:03 am
Pete
2/16/21 The Cavity and Bat Cams should now automatically play when you load the page. Jorge discovered that even if the code included the autoplay command, they wouldn’t because YouTube was reluctant to have embedded video that might have mic/audio suddenly start playing upon loading a page and blast the user with unexpected sound. So he found the code to have these two videos load with the sound defaulted to mute. Which is a non-issue because neither of these feeds has audio… Thanks, Jorge! Pete
2/7/21 Gretchen told me that the plugin that allows one to add a pic to a comment is no longer supported. So she’s looking for another one. Pete
2/6/21 The Limb cam is now running and also has an active mic in the vicinity of the cavity. But two things:
1) If you want to hear the audio make sure the mic (speaker icon) is clicked to “on” in (usually) the lower or upper right corner of the Limb cam feed.
2)There’s a longer delay before you see/hear the live Limb cam feed than the Cavity cam feed. So while you might hear audio from the Limb cam mic it likely won’t sync with the Cavity cam activity. Pete
2/1/21 This is part of the nuts and bolts needed to keep the cams going. But it’s fun for me. Love doing it. Just wish there weren’t so many tech glitches to deal with. Then again, that’s just part of the deal. Pete

1/30/21 I started working on replacing the PTZ cam today. But among other things, mice have chewed a bunch of wires so I have a lot of repairs to do and may have to pull new wires. So this may take some time. But I’m hoping that if not by tomorrow, maybe Monday things will be back to “normal” again. (But is there any such thing a “normal” any more…?) Pete
1/29/21 Trail cam change is done. Pete
1/29/21 I’m about to change the trail cam to a better, hopefully higher resolution, model so it may be down for a while. Also, when things dry out here a bit, tomorrow I’m going to go up to the cavity after dark and after the pair has left and install a static cam in place of the PTZ to view the limb activity. It will also have a mic so it should be able to pick up audio in the cavity as well. Pete
1/29/21 All – Please don’t put your email address in a comment. It’s way too easy for a bot to grab it and then start using it to spam you. If you want to get in touch with another viewer just send an email to me and I’ll email that person asking if it’s OK for me to share their email with you. I’m happy to do this. Pete
1/21/21 I’ve emailed Jorge about the constant cavity cam buffering. Will fix as soon as I hear from him. In meantime I removed the 360X270 cavity stream. Was redundant anyway and just wasting bandwidth. Pete

Okay, that was a bit too close for comfort… BNOW on the perch crouched defensively and another owl flew in. It turned out to be a GHOW. Both ended up on the perch together before taking off quickly.
Wow! That must have been something to see. BNOW legs look like twigs compared to the GHOW’s.
Thanks for that capture, litlvxn.
You’re welcome Wynne. It was a GHOW that was the “visitor” to the BNOW on perch in scylla’s video too. They may have a nest nearby too, since we heard a juvenile GHOW the past few days.
Wow, what a catch!
Oh my, there is an OWL preening in the Ritz. Be still my heart.
Owl just dropped down from euc trunk to lower branch.
Into cavity.
It’s in the back now, having checked the pantry.
Nibbling at the floor.
It’s packing up time here, g’night fowlks.
An owl dropped down from the tree onto the upper branch and after a while entered the cavity – had a look around and is now on the lip already!
Out to lower branch.
Flown.
Good morning – there was an owl on the top branch when I opened the page, by the time I’d logged in it had flown.
Still can’t upload snaps so I can’t show you the owl (a male, I thought) who entered the cavity next.)
While the owl who’d been in the cavity contemplated its next move on the branch, another flew in from behind and both flew off the way it had come:
18s
Thanks for the video, scylla!! That was a GHO. It just came back tonight too, same spot, while the owl was on the perch.
Owl on the lower branch, peered at the cavity and then around…
I’m waiting… you’d think it would enter the cavity but it’s turned around on the branch so it has its back to us.
Looking back over its shoulder towards the cavity…
To be continued… ?
First – the mousies get going at what seems to be a regular time, around 20:20 – first Mama (I guess), then one minute later 2 little faces popped out from high on the pantry wall, one was braver than the other ?
???
You’ll have to put up with that representation of Mama and the babes, because Imgur.com has gone on strike, I’ve tried clearing cache, still can’t access upload/albums.
.
There were 2 owls up there, they flew off one right after the other – you can tell YT to play it on half speed if you need to:
17s
Adding in snaps now that Imgur has recovered.
.
“First the mousies…”
And:
DAWG! stayed up way past my bedtime and STILL haven’t seen an owl! hope you cats have better luck than I do!
Sending love and light your way ❣️
?
WOOHOO! How exciting!! checked in a few minutes ago and there was no critter in sight. Then, l looked away for a moment and suddenly there were TWO owls in sight!! One was in the Ritz fidgeting and the other was on the top branch!! EXCITING!!! 🙂 For some reason, l am having a problem posting the capture….PHOOEY!!
Branch owl left briefly but has now returned.
We were watching at the same time ?
Barn owl entered the cavity… then the other one (just like we saw the other night) landed on the upper branch. Cavity owl is now on the lip.
The limb cam is quite a bit ahead of the cavity cam tonight.
Took my eyes off it and the branch owl had gone when I looked back. Up into the euc again? We shall see.
He didn’t fly up into the euc, he flew to the fave perching place where ATA-Jack saw the eyes the other night. He’s back again now but I’m not covering that, I have to pack up – so g’night fowlks ?
Some nice cleaky-chirples.
1m32s
Both owls gone – allowing for the lag, I’d say the cavity owl left first.
THANKS A MIL Guys!
LOVE hearing the adolescent Great Horned Owl….so cool! Once again, no owls hanging out in the Ritz. I will check back later this evening if I can tear myself away from binge watching “Grimm”. If not tonight, I will catch you cats tomorrow! Sending Love and Light your way!
I hear an adolescent Great Horned Owl at Starr Ranch at 1:30 am PST.
Many thanks, Yellowthroat! I could hardly hear it on my recording so had to enhance it in a sound editor. Have also cut out waiting time between calls.
1m08s
Been a long time since I’ve heard that. So cool! Thank you Yellowthroat and scylla.
Even though scylla does all the hard work of searching and recording/videoing, we still need our commenters to spot things for her and give her times. Wonderful collaborative effort here!
I think I see some eyes glowing at me from the very top of the frame in the far tree.
I see that I refreshed the limb cam @ 22:45, ATA-Jack, and don’t have any eyes to show – I did notice some leaf movement right after.
Hi Jack. Always nice to *see* you on here. Hope things are going well for you now.
Hi! I’m fine. – bummed those weren’t Owl eyes.
This stressed me out.. a mouse got caught in the spider web
Such a well-timed snap, litlvxn (I’m always worried about missing out the wrong letters, that’s why I tend to call you Vixen but I know that’s a liberty ? ).
Here’s the video:
1m58s
WOW! They are trying to clean out the attic it seems. So cute to watch. Thanks for spotting this litlvxn. Thanks (again and again for all) scylla for the vid.
Like Scylla noted, saw at least 3 mice in the cavity at once.
The eucalyptus trees look so cool and inviting, gently swaying in a slight breeze. Hope all are doing well.
Two mice in the cavity.
More than 2 ?
1m09s
So cute, Scylla– like long-nosed, long-tailed, thin hamsters. But just fine, in their own rights.
New Bird has a name———— Rascal.
It has been bubbling around in my head for around a month and it suits my little guy. Many adventures ahead.
Yes, Patti, I will cover the cage starting tonight. The apartment faces the west afternoon sun, so even with the AC it can get warm in here, even in the evening. I put the cover on the back of the cage this morning to see Rascal’s reaction. He was alert but didn’t jump away. I took it away and he remained calm. Tonight, while dinner was cooking, I eased the cover over the entire cage. It took a few moments, but Rascal relaxed so I know he is okay with it. So when I go to bed, the cover will go on.
Hiya Rascal ? Ask you mama to post some pics of you after you’re settled in ?
“your” mama.
Rascal sounds like a truly appropriate name. Welcome Rascal!
I understand there’ll still be a mourning period, but how soon do you expect you’ll become Rascals Person?
Love the name Bingos! Glad to hear the cover is working. Gumdrop always calms down the minute I cover him. In the summer, it’s very warm in our living room, so cover him more lightly. Patti
I know you two will have a good time of it. I, too, approve the name. Lots of fun to come.
Hi!
I’m so glad to see that there is serious owl activity at night! MAN! Sure wish they would hang around at the Ritz during the day! All I see is feathers….lots of feathers and sleepy bats.
Sending you cats love and light!
Possum
OMG – here’s another owl on the upper branch ?
Oh it’s gone while I was uploading that snap.
It had flown down from the old fave perching place, then flown up into the euc:
scylla, it is so heartening to know that our owls are still around. Thanks for the pix.
Owl just landed on the branch office and entered the cavity.
Popped into pantry… just checkin’ ?
I did this in my old editor because it doesn’t put such thick black bars around it (the side-by-side cams making it a non-standard shape). However, I can’t improve on the paleness in that editor.
Gosh, the black bars are huge now.
The owl left the cavity well before daycam, BTW.
Mouse has beeen prominent in the cavity for at least half an hour.
I’m ospreying, still doing some of yesterday’s ? but hope to find our mouse later and see if there are any unusual behaviours/shots.
Mouse is still busy. Oh how I wish I knew what it thinks it’s doing, or what it would like to do – or anything about its activities ?
Update on New Bird! He had a good night’s sleep, I slept on the couch just in case he got “night fright”. I have had a night light for my birds to prevent this but since it was the first night, I wanted to be sure. In the morning, I set the AC, left the radio low (classical music) and went to work. When I got home, he chirped when he heard the key turn the lock. I swear when I entered the apartment, he looked at me as if “oh it’s you. ” Might have been looking for his first human.
He is smart, I have been reaching through the bars to touch his wings, tonight he stepped away and faced me-a clear ‘no’. So I opened the door, and pet him anyway. He is learning ‘step up’, and I turn him to face me to discourage escape attempts. When he does, I just pick him again. I limit the time of his lessons.
I called the bird breeder to find out how old he is-4 to 5 months old. I thought he was a little thin, the breeder thought the same thing and said just keep food in front of him. He is eating. I plan to take him to the vet for a wellness check and get a baseline so I can keep him healthy. I do have a possible name bubbling around in my head, but I want to get to know him better. I’ll let you know when I have just the right name for him.
Thank you lots, BP ?
Hi Bingos! When I received my Parrotlet, I was told that you need to cover them at night, otherwise they do not shut down. The website indicated they should get about 16 hours of sleep a day. That certainly doesn’t happen here because he is in our living room and I interact with him all day. So a good night’s sleep is in order. Have you tried covering your bird? Patti
Not seeing any owls at this time…just a whole lotta feathers! Pretty and soft looking ones though.
I am very excited to announce that I have identified the frogs living under the deck as Copes Gray Tree Frogs. The spot they are in takes days to dry after it rains so I am going to plant some yellow flags and cattails in that area this week. That should give the frogs more cover and a more natural environment to live in.
BTW I think I fractured my elbow by slipping in mud and falling SPLAT on concrete…landing on my elbow. If its not better in a few days I will go to the Dr. DAWG! I hate that and it sure cramps my style!
I will check in later this evening!
Sending Love and Light your way!
Possum
Hi Possum,
I hope the elbow turns out to be something less serious than a break. It sounds wonderful to have the tree frogs by your deck.
Love and light back at you! Rex
Ouch! Falling on concrete is never good. Hope the elbow heals by itself.
Patti
Ouch! Possum, don’t wait too long to see the Dr. Don’t want any complications.
Your tree frogs sound lovely.
Hope you return to full mobility soon.
Here was the mouse coming home – for the day, I imagine, as it’s nearly daycam outside – but the mouse made the cavity very, very dark so I hope you can see this.
It leapt from here to there, if you see what I mean 😉
Announcing………………………..
New Bird!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
no name as yet—I just got a new young male cockatiel from my bird breeder friend this morning. He was hand reared but was put into a group of other birds and turned wild. A lady who also raises cockatiels tried to work with him but he bit her so possibly she didn’t have a lot of time to work with him. My friend said the bird bit him too when he picked him up.
So when I got to the swap meet, he was out walking around, so the others called him, let me sit inside their spot so I was in the shade. My friend arrived, got the bird out and handed him to me. Yep, you guessed it-I got bit, but it wasn’t hard. My friend touched his beak with the end of a perch and he let go. Then we spent around 30 minutes together. He jumped out of my hand several times, but no more biting-it was nibbles and chewing on a ring. I noticed that his wings needed trimming, so my friend did that and discovered a broken new feather that was bloody. He found and pulled it, trimmed the flight feathers and put him into my carrier.
I got home, filled his dishes, then got him out of the carrier. And got bit again–hard. He broke the skin and would not release. So I had to “pinch” his beak. He let go and I was able to get him into the cage. I left him alone so he could settle down.
I was pleased to see him quickly find his water dish, it took longer for him to eat. I took a nap on the couch by the cage (turned the cage to face the couch end so he could watch me). I glanced up and he took a nap too. I have been giving him light touches through the cage bars, then reaching inside and touching him lightly on his chest, head, back and even lightly touched his beak. Then I walk away before he gets too upset. I have been able to get him on my finger a few times. Right now, he is watching me from his platform I have in the cage.
He is all white but for some dark gray patches on his wings, back and maybe under his wings. The tail feathers on the left are dark gray, the center ones are white, and the right ones are light gray.
Hopefully, new bird will tame down and become my new friend.
Hi Bingos Person. How very fortunate for the cockatiel that your paths crossed with him.. It sounds as if you are ready for the challenges and rewards that are ahead in this new adventure. KUDOS to you! Maybe you can keep us informed about how things are going. 🙂
Great news!! I know how badly you wanted a new friend. Sounds like a little time and patience and he’ll be happy to be handled. Now to find him a name 🙂
I loved reading that, thank you BingosPerson ?
I’ll never forget when my budgie (who was called Budgie cos he was a stray who flew in the office window) bit my lip and I, to my eternal shame, instinctively (if that’s the right word?) flicked his beak with my finger and his little eyes nearly popped out of his head. No ill effects, thank goodness. Oh how I loved him and I think it was mutual ?
Keep us updated, won’t you ?
Congratulations Bingos! Happy you have a new friend to bond with and enjoy. I certainly enjoy Gumdrop, our Parrotlet. Patti
Oh, Bingos Person, what wonderful news. I know that you will get him to trust you and you will become fast friends. CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!
Hi Bingos Person!
CONGRATULATIONS! He needs you…You will have a lot of fun becoming fast friends!
Thank you Bingo’s person,
Wishes for years of love and companionship with your new friend. It seems like the pets that we have a few bumps and jolts with in the beginning often turn out to be the ones we bond most closely with in the long run. Keep us posted on how things develop.
Blessings Rex
Hi Everyone!
Poo! No babes to watch. All appears to be very quiet there at Starr Ranch!
Possum
Sorry, Possum – I’m sure we’re all in withdrawal ☹
Sorry but I’ve only got a mouse report at this time – it or they have been in ‘n out for some time, and one has just been along the upper branch and up ‘n down the euc trunk.
It seems that the many feathers strewn about sparkle and glow!
Hey guys!!
Wanted to get in touch with me. Hasn’t been here for a long time… Already had a guilty conscience… Was unemployed… now I have a new job at my former temporary employment agency…. started last Tuesday with these customers, but unfortunately I don’t like it at all.. 🙁
The permanent employees ignore me and don’t talk to me… only the necessary… 🙁 The customer exports tea and I have to bottle tea…. it’s exhausting and stressful… You have to work quickly… worst of all are the labels…. wants to get away from it.. feel uncomfortable there… Ah, besides, I get from the tea smell cough stimuli, eye tears and sneezing attacks….Will .talk about it on Monday with my boss..
Hope you’re all healthy??? Wish you a nice weekend!!! Many greetings from Hamburg. Your Petra(Ghosthunters)
Good to hear from you, Petra. l hope the conversation with your boss will result in changes for you. Have a peaceful pleasant weekend! 🙂
I’m so sorry you’re having a hard time, Petra, it sounds really depressing and stressful ? How long have we been hoping that better luck would come your way? You are so strong! ?
Hi Petra! Sorry to hear you are not liking your new job. That happened to me once (I was very lucky in employment) and it can really affect one. Are you able to wear a mask to ward off the smells, etc. of the tea? Happy to hear you are going to talk with your boss and hope you get some good results. Take care – we’re thinking of you! Patti