January 6, 2026 revealed our new couple! Males usually are slightly larger & lighter colored. Males typically sleep in a nearby tree, just visiting throughout the night, eventually serving as the sole source of food for mom & owlets.
Our owlets are giant preteen cotton balls. Mom now leaves the box for hunting for hours at a time nightly. Both owlets are well fed. Mom and Dad are great for our gardens.
Coming soon……Owl Box Streaming
Our tech and project teams have been working diligently to install our new owl box with video streaming. Here’s the intro to that process.
Barn Owl Partnership!
Official Field Report
A History
- About 10 years ago CRPD provided & mounted 2 Barn Owl houses. One worked! One faced the wrong direction, toward Santa Ana winds & a tree. Squirrels staked their claim.
- Owls occupied a house and produced owlets, but mortality rates were extra high. Why? The opening was too low, making it too easy for immature owlets to exit.
- In 2025 while replacing the by-then abandoned house, we learned the importance of a clean-out door too, not included in the initial houses. Owl waste filled over the opening’s rim of the old house.
Original house, removed in October 2025. Broke the rope used to lower it because of the weight of its built-up “contents.”
2020 Professional Wildlife Photographer Pictures of Our Former Barn Owl Resident
2025…LFCG Moves Onward & Upward!
We researched, bought, built, & installed the best-in-class Barn Owl Box Kit from JCS Wildlife, Bird Box Camera by Green Feathers, & complete Solar Power Kit by Renogy.
Barn Owls By Design
We chose the Barn Owl box designed by Steve Simmons in Central California & used extensively since 1995.
Erecting Our New Owl Box, Solar System, & Camera Feed
Just 10 Days Later, She or He Moved In!
[Often males choose the nest, but this looks like the current female occupant to my untrained eye.]
New Resident
“Hi.” “Um, Hi.” “Hoot hoot!” 😉
January 6, 2026 revealed our new couple! Males usually are slightly larger & lighter colored. Males typically sleep in a nearby tree, just visiting throughout the night, eventually serving as the sole source of food for mom & owlets.
Better Together
Now What?
- Barn Owls are monogamous and mate & nest with little prep, laying eggs as early as February in Southern California.
- Females lay 3-8 eggs asynchronously, usually one every few days over 8-21 days.
- Incubation lasts 30-32 days per egg, and the hatchlings emerge one at a time over several weeks. This strategy allows parents to best manage food resources.
- Chicks are brooded for 2-3 weeks and fledging (first flight) in 50-70 days. Independence occurs 3-5 weeks post-flight.
Our LFCG Community Says, “Thank You,” to CRPD & Our New Owl Partners!
