 There
has been no sign of either Ward or June since January 3rd when June spent thirty minutes
hooting near the nest box. Her calls again went unanswered
and it is quite possible that she left the territory in search of another
mate. The nest box is shown here with a light snow cover in
mid-February. The picture was taken at midnight with the aid of an IR
illuminator that allows me to keep an eye on the nest on even the darkest
night. While there is a possibility that June does not recognize this
strange new structure as a nest, the absence of owl calls tells me that it
is far more likely that the owls are simply not in the area. It is not
unusual for barred owls to skip a nesting season after a particularly bad
winter and this could be one of those years for Ward and June. I am,
however, still hopeful that they will show up in the next few weeks, and
will report any sightings when they occur. Meanwhile, I continue to make
progress on the OwlCam DVD and hope to make it available in the next
few months. |