Using camera technology to study owls
Karla Bloem is the Executive Director of the International Owl Center in Houston, MN. Like Eyes on the Wild, she and her team use cameras and citizen scientists to learn about the secret lives of animals!
The International Owl Center has used a live streaming cam to help study Great Horned Owl vocalizations and associated behaviors since 2010. After learning what we could from the wild owls, we acquired a pair of adult-injured, non-releasable wild Great Horned Owls, not habituated to humans so they behave as wild owls would. They are housed in a breeding and release training complex that is 96 feet long that is outfitted with a number of security cameras and microphones. They are isolated from humans.
 |
| Iris and Rusty (photo courtesy of the International Owl Center) |
Online cam viewers have been asked to submit their observations of vocalizations and behaviors. One volunteer in Oklahoma took detailed notes in the evenings until midnight or 1 AM for several years, and another volunteer in The Netherlands took detailed notes from about 1 AM until the owls went to sleep in the mornings. A variety of other viewers submitted observation forms. The volunteer observers are a key part of the research, as it isn’t possible to review 24 hours of audio and video every day to pull out all of the important information. Observers also are able to hear the wild Great Horned Owls in the area, and have been able to document the changes in occupancy and pairs over the years since each individual’s voice is unique.
 |
| Spectrogram of an individual owl's hoot (courtesy of IOC) |
Rusty and Iris, the breeding pair, are now officially retired due to Rusty’s poor and declining vision, but they still lay eggs which we swap out for dummy eggs so they can still go through much of their normal annual cycle.
What we have been able to document with this cam:
-Vocal development of Great Horned Owls from inside the egg until mature adult hoots (presented at the World Owl Conference in Portugal in 2017, to be published)
-The complete vocal repertoire of the species with associated behaviors (to be published)
-Changes in the wild resident owls: pairs, losses, mate replacement, territorial changes (to be published)
-Wild Barn Owls visiting the area, which are so rare they are not even listed as an endangered species in the state (just published in The Loon)
-Incubation breaks by female Great Horned Owls at this and other cams (to be published)
Although Rusty and Iris are no longer breeding, we are still able to continue to document the comings and goings of the individual wild Great Horned Owls in the area. You can join in and submit your observations (or just watch and listen to the owls) at https://www.
The expenses of the livecam project have been funded entirely by private donations totaling around $30,000.
 |
| Karla using radio telemetry to track owls (courtesy of IOC) |
Notes from Caitlin:
The International Owl Center also conducts on-the-ground research, including using radio telemetry to track owls. There's another Cedar Creek connection: radio telemetry for wildlife behavior was developed right here at the reserve in the 1960s and 70s!
The International Owl Center website has all sorts of fun resources including a 'What kind of owl are you?' quiz. They also have interactive, online programs!
The International Owl Center hosts a big festival celebrating all things owl every year in early March. They are also open for visits Friday through Monday, host regular 'owl prowls' in the winter, provide school programs, and host a fall 5K race as part of their October Hoot Scoot!