Unusual screech owl behavior or not?

16 years ago

As you know, I have a pair of ESO in the palms by my pool.

They arrived, near as I can tell, about 2 weeks ago, although, they could've been there forever...LOL...I don't make a habit of peering up into the palms.

One had half an ear-tuft. I have now discovered this is the male.

At any rate...I found an egg on the pool pad 2 days ago...broken, obviously...its yellow contents showed no sign of an embryo. At first I thought maybe she pushed it out of the nest.

*Incidentally...I have YET to SEE a nest up there!

Well...today...the male is missing.

I was sitting, reading poolside, when I heard a strange thwap!

I walked over and there was ANOTHER dropped egg...shattered!

Here's the female...

Is she perhaps too young and inexperienced, so she's just popping out eggs while snoozing on the branch, with no nest?

I'm assuming they're sterile eggs...thoughts?

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Comments (6)

Elly_NJ
16 years ago
Those sure do look like Eastern screech owl eggs!

Screech owls are not migratory, so they have lived there for awhile. I once released a screech owl in my neighborhood (when I was in wild bird rehabilitation), and it lived there for 8 years. It was found dead by the side of the road 8 years later. (The bird I released was banded, so we know who it was!)

A predator is probably raiding the nest. She would not be laying eggs on a branch. The nest is likely in a hole in the palm. Maybe in an old woodpecker hole?

I'm thinking the eggs look like that before they develop, and may not be sterile, but just undeveloped? Not sure.

It sure is a sad story.
lellie
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks Miss elly!

No sign of either owl this morning, but that's not too unusual...they often show up every other day, near as I can tell.
Not so sure about a predator...that egg dropped while she was sitting on the frond and landed eggs-actly where her poop does!
Plus...she didn't seem too upset, although come to think of it, she did turn her head suddenly and look behind her right after she 'laid' the egg.
Could've been 'something' up there, but I would've seen a big ol' coon, I'm sure.

Although...this morning, the shell was gone (I forgot to remove it!)...and there were signs that a coon had been in my yard!
You know...the usual...dirty footprints on my white fence from it climbing over into my yard...prints also on a chaise by the pool...evidentally it walked over it instead of around it.

At any rate...I'll go check the palm for any holes, but I rather tend to doubt I'll find any...the palm trunk is only about 4-5" thick. Would this be wide enough for a nest?

I feel so bad for her!
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lellie
Original Author
16 years ago
Elly...I meant to ask you...did you ever discover what happened to your rehabbed owl?
That's so sad!
Elly_NJ
16 years ago
The owl lived well for all those years in the woods, and then was hit by a car : (

But it lived a good long life before it was hit.

Lellie, your owls sure have a strange story! Consider putting up a Screech owl nesting box for them?
lellie
Original Author
16 years ago
I'd love to put up a box, elly, but I don't believe I have the 'correct' tree on which to mount one.
Other than Palms, the only tree I have on my property is a huge, old Oak of some sort.
I would gladly mount the box there if it weren't for two problems.
First of all...this Oak is on the opposite side of my yard...would they ever find it?
I've never heard or seen the Owls over there.
They prefer the west side of my yard.

The other problem is SQUIRRELS! They LOVE the Oak tree!
I don't know how I could EVER keep them out of the Owl box....short of well.....
You know, I'm KIDDING!!!!!!!
I would never harm any living thing.
HU-170549548
3 years ago
I have a screech owl sitting in a ledge of a cabbage palm for 24hours. Yesterday, : male blue jays, 4 squirrels & a pair of cardinals reeling havoc on the owl 🦉. Is there Anything I can do to help. It’s heart wrenching to see. HELP! Advice? Thanks!

Unusual screech owl behavior or not?

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Unusual screech owl behavior or not?

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