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Wildflower Center Great Horned Owl Cam Timeline

Review the main events, including nesting cycle milestones and other noteworthy incidents, in this historical timeline of the Great Horned Owl Cam at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Jump To Season Timeline:

2024

Athena the Great Horned Owl guarding two owlets.
Photo by Bill J. Boyd
YearEgg #Lay DateHatch DateFledge Date
20241March 1April 4
2March 5April 6
20231~March 3UnknownMay 25
2~March 3UnknownMay 25
20221~March 9Inviable
2~March 9Inviable
20211~Feb 3UnknownApril 22
2~Feb 3UnknownMay 2
20201~Feb 18UnknownMay 7
2~Feb 18UnknownMay 7
20191~Feb 14April 2May 3
*Great Horned Owls first nested at this site at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in 2012, but details on the 2012–2018 nesting seasons were not recorded.

2024 Season Timeline

April 6, 2024: Second Owlet Hatches At Great horned owl nest

Tap to watch the second owlet's reveal at the Great Horned Owl nest.

The second and final Great Horned Owl chick has hatched after 32 days of incubation on April 6, two days after its elder sibling. Athena revealed her youngest owlet during an early morning incubation break. The owlet’s downy feathers were still matted and damp from being inside the egg, and it barely had the strength to lift its head.

April 4, 2024: First Owlet of the 2024 Season hatches at wildflower center

Tap to watch the reveal of the first owlet.

The Great Horned Owls nesting at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center have officially welcomed their first hatchling of the 2024 breeding season! Watch Athena rise over her nest and reveal the first glimpse at her white, downy owlet at 3:48 P.M. on April 4.

March 5, 2024: Athena Lays Her Second Egg Of The Season At Wildflower Center

Watch Athena reveal her second egg.

Athena laid her second egg around 1:30 A.M. on March 5. Watch the female Great Horned Owl take an incubation break later in the morning and reveal a clutch of 2 eggs. Based on past observations at this site, Athena typically lays 2 eggs per breeding attempt. However, Great Horned Owl clutch size can range anywhere between 1 and 4 eggs.

March 1, 2024: Great Horned Owl Breeding Season Kicks Off With First Egg At Wildflower Center Nest

Tap to watch Athena reveal her first egg of the 2024 breeding season.

Bird Cams is excited to announce our new Great Horned Owl Cam, in partnership with the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at the University of Texas at Austin.

The Great Horned Owl Cam will follow the female owl (named “Athena”) and her mate as they attempt to raise a family this spring.

Watch Athena lift off her nest to reveal a single white egg on March 1. This egg marks the start of the Great Horned Owls’ breeding season at their nest located in a raised planter above the entrance of the Wildflower Center’s Courtyard.

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Pileated Woodpecker by Lin McGrew / Macaulay Library