Austin's famous feathered resident, the great-horned owl Athena, has once again made her grand entrance at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, right on time for the wildflower season. This marks the 14th consecutive year Athena has returned to the center to lay her eggs and rear her young in front of an audience. In a bid to share this natural wonder with the world, the Wildflower Center has collaborated with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to launch a live 'nest cam', allowing anyone with internet access to observe Athena's nesting activities in real-time.
Viewers can now catch a glimpse of the avian action from Athena's nest, strategically placed just above the Wildflower Center’s courtyard entrance. This year's live feed is equipped with infrared technology for nighttime viewing, illustrating the mostly nocturnal behaviors of Athena and her future owlets. Athena's regular nesting spot is under the protective shade of a sotol plant and has become a bold attraction for visitors and Austinites, drawing thousands each spring, according to CBS Austin.
The Center’s Executive Director, Lee Clippard, expressed his enthusiasm about the new live camera installation saying, "Watching Athena raise owlets each year has provided us with an opportunity to more deeply connect with nature and is a testament, to the power of creating healthy environments." Athena's consistency in returning to the site has become an anchor point for the center's spring activities, despite a single season where the owl left the nest for two weeks, for reasons unknown, as noted by KXAN.
The great horned owl tends to incubate her eggs for around four weeks, following which she, along with her mate, takes care of the owlets for up to six weeks after hatching. Staff and volunteers at the Center, and now viewers around the globe, are poised to witness yet another chapter in Athena's legacy as she embarks on nurturing new life in full view of a captivated audience, hoping she will remain through the entire process of egg-laying, incubation and fledging her young. The live stream of Athena's nest can be accessed on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s YouTube channel, "said Dr. Sean Griffin," the Center's Director of Science and Conservation.
About The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: The Wildflower Center is a state treasure, nurturing both flora and fauna on its 284 acres of land. Funded by The University of Texas at Austin, it carries forward Lady Bird Johnson's enduring environmental legacy. The Cornell Lab is known for bird research and education and is pioneering in citizen science initiatives dedicated to conserving our planet's biodiversity.
