Montage of the father owl delivering food to the mother.
Several years ago, my wife and I put an owl box up in our backyard Chinquapin Oak (Quercus muehlenbergi). Eastern Screech Owls are selective about where they will raise their young. An artificial enclosure has to be a general height, with a certain size hole, and facing a certain direction.
There is the threat of racoons, squirrels, starlings, snakes, and anything else that might take over the box. But luck prevailed, and we have had Eastern Screech (Otus asio) owls each year since it was placed.
In 2019, we ran a thick Cat 6 ("ethernet") wire from the house and up the tree trunk. This cable supplied infrared light power and an HD-quality video and still picture signal. But it kept breaking, so we shifted to Wi-Fi. This web page describes the results of that half decade and shares some of the still photographs.
In 2020, we changed the camera brand again and moved it from outside to inside the lid of the owl box. The new camera was also High Definition, had infrared lights, and records the parents and their parliament of owlets from inside. And as we found out, it also captures a lot more! We're now on our 15th camera system, with one being outside and another one now inside the box.
In 2021, we saw our first egg laid late in the season, on March 30th. It was later than the previous year, perhaps due to severe winter storms in February. Then two more eggs came. One was damaged. And ultimately all were lost to predators. Ah the cycle of nature.
But in 2022, we saw our first owl nesting pairs on the first day of January. We believe this to be a new nesting pair and hope the best for them. Momma started really hanging out in the box in early March. The papa hung around in a nearby tree. Four eggs were laid and four owlets fledged. And then 2023 brought success as well.
As we end 2023, we are hearing the owls (likely the descendants of the previous ones) in the area. And in 2024 we saw the mommy lose all four eggs, but then lay another say of four. All fledged successfully! In 2025 we have two cameras and a new box hanging system. The momma owl came into that box for scouting two days after Christmas.
There is the threat of racoons, squirrels, starlings, snakes, and anything else that might take over the box. But luck prevailed, and we have had Eastern Screech (Otus asio) owls each year since it was placed.
In 2019, we ran a thick Cat 6 ("ethernet") wire from the house and up the tree trunk. This cable supplied infrared light power and an HD-quality video and still picture signal. But it kept breaking, so we shifted to Wi-Fi. This web page describes the results of that half decade and shares some of the still photographs.
In 2020, we changed the camera brand again and moved it from outside to inside the lid of the owl box. The new camera was also High Definition, had infrared lights, and records the parents and their parliament of owlets from inside. And as we found out, it also captures a lot more! We're now on our 15th camera system, with one being outside and another one now inside the box.
In 2021, we saw our first egg laid late in the season, on March 30th. It was later than the previous year, perhaps due to severe winter storms in February. Then two more eggs came. One was damaged. And ultimately all were lost to predators. Ah the cycle of nature.
But in 2022, we saw our first owl nesting pairs on the first day of January. We believe this to be a new nesting pair and hope the best for them. Momma started really hanging out in the box in early March. The papa hung around in a nearby tree. Four eggs were laid and four owlets fledged. And then 2023 brought success as well.
As we end 2023, we are hearing the owls (likely the descendants of the previous ones) in the area. And in 2024 we saw the mommy lose all four eggs, but then lay another say of four. All fledged successfully! In 2025 we have two cameras and a new box hanging system. The momma owl came into that box for scouting two days after Christmas.
Previous Exterior Equipment and Setup...
We have previously used a waterproof HD bullet camera. The trick is getting the cables watertight, not the camera itself. I had shorted out the first unit and had to buy a new one.
The trick was to run one continuous data cable to the camera (a relatively thick black network cable with Power Over Ethernet) and keep the connections encased in silicone within a sealed compressed box (see the four black zip ties holding it there). I then placed several pieces of small gauge wire around the tree branch and pointed the camera at the box. After four years, this cable got nicks and tears and had to be replaced.
During feeding time, which is chaotic, the male repeatedly knocked the camera. So I used a 23' stick to move it back into position.
Having the infrared light is key, since most activity occurs at night.
That wired method only lasted for three years; now we are back on Wi-Fi both inside and out.
The trick was to run one continuous data cable to the camera (a relatively thick black network cable with Power Over Ethernet) and keep the connections encased in silicone within a sealed compressed box (see the four black zip ties holding it there). I then placed several pieces of small gauge wire around the tree branch and pointed the camera at the box. After four years, this cable got nicks and tears and had to be replaced.
During feeding time, which is chaotic, the male repeatedly knocked the camera. So I used a 23' stick to move it back into position.
Having the infrared light is key, since most activity occurs at night.
That wired method only lasted for three years; now we are back on Wi-Fi both inside and out.
And the parade of owl box visitors started coming...
Here is a timeline of how it all likely occurred, lining up the months of 2020 through 2023...
