Wildflower Center Great Horned Owl Cam Returns As Athena Lays First Egg Of 2026

The Great Horned Owl Cam is back for the 2026 breeding season at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, Texas. This is the third year the nest has streamed live on the Cornell Lab Bird Cams and the sixteenth consecutive season that the resident female, Athena, has returned with a mate to breed at this site.

The pair successfully raised two owlets to fledging in each of the past two seasons. Now, we get to watch a new chapter unfold at their nest site in a sotol planter above the Center’s courtyard entrance.

After several visits to the nest site in recent weeks, Athena returned on the evening of March 4 and laid her first egg of the season at around 1:30 on March 5th. Great Horned Owls can lay up to four eggs in a clutch, though Athena typically lays two each year. If another egg is on the way, it will likely arrive one to four days after the first, although it could take longer.

From this point forward, Athena will spend most of her time keeping her clutch warm and protected. Once any owlets arrive, she’ll continue brooding them closely during the first stage of the nestling period. Her mate will take on hunting duties, delivering prey to support both Athena and their growing offspring. While he plays a vital role, he may not always appear on camera. Past seasons have shown he has often delivered prey out of view.

Follow along for another season with this Great Horned Owl family, and stay connected with daily updates on Twitter/X and Mastodon as we watch this experienced pair begin another nesting cycle.