Ever wondered what an owl does when nobody’s watching? Me neither. Then an owl moved into my backyard. Now all I do is wonder what he’s doing.
With live cameras installed, I’m discovering his life is far more interesting than I expected.
The owl box—home to Snacks, the Eastern Screech Owl—sits about six feet away and twelve feet up from my kitchen window. He has more friends than I do.
I set up two live cameras on the owl house, expecting light, breezy viewing—like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
Turns out, owls are more Hitchcock than Hughes.
There’s action, humor, and some highly questionable life choices happening all day long inside that box.
Would you like to save this stuff?
We'll email you this post, so you can refer to it later.
And just like that, I’ve become the kind of person who watches an owl like it’s my full-time job. I check in on him first thing in the morning, then multiple times throughout the day—just to make sure he’s still alive and hasn’t taken up vaping.
The cameras have revealed many things—some fascinating, some horrifying, and all of them eye-opening. BIG eyes opening.
You don’t have to wonder—or even leave your couch—to know what an owl does all day.
In the next few days, I’ll be making the live feed public on my website.
Soon, you’ll be able to watch Snacks, live, anytime you want.
Welcome to The Snack Shack.
A R pearman
Yeah, I feed grey squirrels ( eleven on a busy day ) and one has an injured or deformed back foot. He can't bear much weight on it for very long so when he sits up to eat, he's constantly readjusting to keep his weight off that side and often topples over. So, like you, I'm always waiting and watching to see if he's still around and eating. He looks ok, the foot looks ok but I still worry.
Funny, I don't seem as concerned about my neighbors. Snicker.
Katie
Do these characters know the story of Squirrel Nutkin???? Will Snacks soon have a rear-view mirror decoration...?
Crystal
You have inspired us to join in on the joy (and apparent madness) of installing a screech owl nesting box. Unfortunately, upon doing so, a black squirrel moved in. We have tried to dislodge this rascal several times. The thing is, we don't know if we've been successful. What cameras do you recommend? Having a way to monitor if the box is unoccupied or if we need to evict the squirrel would be helpful.
Karen
Hi Crystal. Hi Crystal! I’m planning to do a full post on the cameras I use because they are absolutely essential for keeping your sanity when monitoring an owl box. Last year, not being able to see inside drove me crazy! If you just want a simple way to check whether there’s an owl (or any other visitor) in the box, a wireless camera is the easiest option. However, if you want smooth, high-quality footage with reliable streaming, an IP camera is the way to go. An IP camera connects directly to your router with a wired connection, which means you'll need to run a cable from the owl box, through the yard, and into your house. It’s a bit of a project, but it gives you a much better viewing experience. After a lot of searching, the only camera I found that fits inside a birdhouse is the Green Backyard camera. It’s not perfect—occasionally glitchy and not the highest resolution—but it does the job. The most important thing is that I can see inside the box whenever I want, so I never have to wonder if something’s in there. And if you’re just trying to get a quick peek inside without a camera, here’s a trick I used last year: I attached my phone to an extendable pole, hit record, and checked the box that way. Not high-tech, but it worked! ~ karen!