April 19th, 2026
This is a follow-up segment to the post “Oh My Gosh, A Screech Owl!” from last week. Basically, I am just so excited about the owls and want to share their life and our experience with you. Each week, I will post another update, until the owls have left the nesting box.
This week was a momentous step in learning more about nesting screech-owls, for the Mission Valley-based Owl Research Institute checked out our nest box. Hayley, Zach, and Steve arrive after lunch and, after a lot of talking, pull out their “peeper cam”, a lengthy camera designed to inspect woodpecker cavities, but repurposed for owls. We walk over to the box, which sits 10 feet up on the southern end of our property. Hayley brings over a small Altoid-sized screen, which live streams from the peeper cam. Right now, all we see are Zach’s shoes. Then, the cam rises in the air and pops into the three-inch hole. Yellow eyes blink up at us and the female’s beak clacks in an annoyed manner. The Western Screech-Owl is split into tenish subspecies, which are separated by range and appearance. Idaho, Montana, and the eastern halves of Oregon and Washington are occupied by the macfarlanei (I think it’s pronounced muhk-far-lehn-ee) subspecies. This is the biggest subspecies, sometimes reaching ten inches (robin sized). The size of the female is apparent, since she takes up most of the nest box. She also conceals any eggs, so the peeper cam is pulled out and packed away.
Later that night, the female takes her nightly bathroom break, flying off into the darkening sky. We take advantage of her absence and, with permission from the ORI, peek inside the box. Five creamy white, ping-pong ball sized eggs glisten in the headlamp’s light. Papa snaps a photo then closes the lid with a gentle thump and descends the ladder. That night, I think about the little baby owlets. I mean, after seeing mama owl’s perfect little eggs, how could I not?
Until next week,
The Missoula Bird Nerds
Missoula Bird Nerds 