SLO County couple started 24-7 livestream of fuzzy baby owls. Here’s how to watch

In 2017, two San Luis Obispo County bird enthusiasts set up a camera inside a bird box hoping they would capture owls coming to nest inside.

The box sat empty for seven years — until suddenly one day, they heard screeching.

They had no idea that the box would quickly become home to one of the most popular local livestream channels showcasing Central Coast wildlife, with viewers tuning in from as far away as South Dakota and Florida.

Arroyo Grande resident and Audubon Society member Pam See said it started when her sister gave her an owl box as a Christmas present.

The box, a large wooden crate that sits on top of an 8-foot pole with a small opening, serves as a nesting spot for owls to lay their eggs.

See set up the box and put a camera outside, hoping to capture precious moments of birds’ beginnings of life. But seven years went by, and no birds flew in. So the camera sat idle too.

That is until March 28 when See heard two adult barn owls — a male and female — screeching outside.

“They started kind of circling and landing on the top of the box,” See said.

See said the owl pair, who they’ve nicknamed Barney Ruble and Betty White, visited for about three nights before the female owl moved in.

“She probably spent every day for about a week before she started laying eggs in the box,” See said.

The first egg was laid on April 8, “and then every two days after that, she would lay another egg,” See said.

When the owl started laying eggs, See turned the camera on — not even really expecting it to work. But lo and behold, there they were on the screen.

Since then, See and her husband, Gary See, set up a 24/7 YouTube livestream for viewers to watch every moment of the birds’ lives.

In the nearly four months since, hundreds of viewers from across the country have logged on to watch the beginnings of life for these owlets.

“The comments I get from either neighbors or people I don’t even know, they love watching this and seeing it,” See said. “I noticed one lady posted that she felt like an auntie watching these little birds grow up.”

The most popular time for people to watch was in the evening when the chicks were being fed, she said.

“We would see approximately eight to 12 people watching each time,” See said. The average viewership per day was about 25 people, she added.

See said she also heard about teachers showing their students the livestream.

“People all over can find it and watch them,” she said.

See said of the female’s six eggs she laid, five of them hatched. The first one hatched on May 10 and then one every two days after.

See noted owl eggs are not like other types of birds like robins or blue jays where they sit on all the eggs until they’re all laid, then they hatch all at once.

“These grow at different rates because they’re hatched at different times,” See said. “They’re just fuzzy little — basically pretty ugly — little owlets.”

On July 15, See said the first owlet came out of the box.

“Then they started every night, another one would come out, and they take little flights,” See said.

Even though the owls have hatched and outgrown the box, they still come back every night to grab food — rats, gophers or other rodents — from their parents.

At about 8:30 or 9 p.m., the owls start gathering in a big walnut tree in See’s yard. They’ll sit there, in her neighbor’s avocado tree or on top of the box as they await their meal.

That ritual likely won’t last much longer.

See said though the baby owls are used to their parents bringing them food, now the adult birds are trying to encourage the owlets to hunt on their own.

See said as of July 30 she thinks in about a week the fledgling owls will be gone, since once they learn to hunt, the mom chases them away to find their own food territory.

“I think they’re just learning the world around them,” See said.

How to watch the owl box livestream

Want to watch the comings and goings of the Sees’ nocturnal neighbors?

You can watch the livestream on YouTube at youtube.com/watch?v=ngRRveJEWgg. The livestream runs 24 hours a day.

See said if viewers watch starting at around 8:30 or 9:30 p.m., they are more likely to see the owls arriving.