The female Barred Owl is now incubating her recently laid eggs.

In what may be the biggest nest box available to cavity nesting birds, a female Barred Owl is incubating 2 eggs she laid last week inside the especially big nest box installed near Indianapolis, Indiana. Fairly famous among birders, this big nest box has attracted nesting pairs of Barred Owls most years since 2003, including last year’s pair that raised 2 young owls on camera. This year, starting last Wednesday, March 11, birders were treated to their first look at the first egg, which was revealed when the female Barred Owl took an incubation break on the 24–7 live camera that anyone can check on anytime online.

The clutch sizes of Barred Owls range from 1 to 5 eggs, but most clutches contain 2 or 3 eggs. The female revealed her second egg on the evening of Saturday, March 14th after a day of steady incubation. You can view the live view and see both of the egg reveals in the video highlights that are posted regularly as the nesting cycle progresses at Barred Owl Cam. From this point forward, the female will spend most of the next month incubating the clutch inside the nest box while her mate keeps watch and hunts for food. There is also a second camera that shows the outside of the biggest nest box, which you can access by clicking on the green icon at the top-right side of the viewing screen, or at Outside View.

Only the female incubates the eggs and broods nestlings, but the male is responsible for procuring the bulk of the food, bringing prey items to the female inside and outside the nest box. The incubation period is 28 to 33 days, and the female begins incubating as soon as the first egg is laid, which means the nestlings hatch a couple days apart and are staggered a bit in size and development. Young Barred Owls fledge when they are about 6 weeks old, although they may leave the nest site a short time before actually fledging.

The extra-large nest box that attracts Barred Owls that thrill birders annually is located in the backyard of Wild Birds Unlimited founder, President, and CEO Jim Carpenter, who lives near Indianapolis, Indiana. The big nest box is positioned 32 feet high against the trunk of a hickory tree, and to keep predators like raccoons from reaching the nest, aluminum flashing is wrapped around the tree. The Wild Birds Unlimited Barred Owl Cam has been part of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Bird Cam Network since 2012, and the outside camera was added in 2018 so it is possible to watch the action on the perch, and to monitor the young owls when they leave the nest box to begin the fledging period. Read more

A DNR wildlife representative holds a female bear cub during a den check near Cadillac Feb. 27.

March 12, 2026
Contact: Jared Duquette, 517-927-1857

As spring approaches and Michigan’s estimated 12,450 black bears emerge from their dens — many with new cubs in tow — here are a few important things to remember:

• Bears have an extraordinary sense of smell and memory. They can smell food from a mile away and remember food locations for years, including that backyard bird feeder or grease-spattered grill.
• When bears get used to human-associated food sources, they are more apt to roam neighborhoods — not flee when harassed by people — and even break into homes and outbuildings for food.
• A bear raiding your bird feeder is not cause to contact the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to request the animal be relocated. Remove the bird feeder for at least two weeks and the bear should stop coming around and move on to other food sources. Talk to your neighbors about taking the same action.

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This week, a coalition of hunting, conservation, and sportsmen’s advocacy organizations filed a lawsuit challenging the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s approval of a plan to exterminate all mule deer on Catalina Island. The coalition’s partners, including Safari Club International, California Rifle and Pistol Association, California Bowmen Hunters/State Archery Association, Howl for Wildlife, California Deer Association, and the Coalition to Save Catalina Island Deer, will make the case that the Department violated state law by rushing the decision through without proper environmental review.

A convertible nest-and-roost box provides an all-seasons attraction and added benefits for cavity nesting birds.

Early spring is a time to add a new nest box to your yard, but there is an exciting option to a spring nest box – a nest box that doubles as a roost box during the “off-season” – fall and winter. Imagine the joy of observing bluebirds using one of your nest boxes during the season, and having fledglings on hand for some days as they learn to fly and forage for themselves – then having chickadees use the same convertible nest box to spend cold nights during late fall and winter. In the songbird arena, that’s a real possibility with an “all-seasons” nest-and-roost box.

While there seem to be an infinite number of nest boxes available on the market, there are now a few true roost boxes too. But the newest and best option for birders these days seems to be a “convertible” nest box that has a reversable front panel so you can position the entrance hole at top during the nesting season, the reposition the front panel so the entrance hole near the bottom of the box to make it the best option as a roost box during fall and winter.

The idea behind having the entrance at the bottom during the cold weather months is to keep warm air created by the body heat of the bird or birds inside the box. Because hot air rises, instead of escaping out the top, the warm air is kept inside. Also, during the roosting season, a perch consisting of a crossbar or 2, or a ladder-perch, allows the birds to perch above the entrance hole. Sometimes, more than 1 bluebird or chickadee will roost together, adding body heat to the box’s interior. In fact, these small songbirds are known to huddle together for added warmth inside a box while roosting. A convertible nest-and-roost box is really a game changer for cavity nesting birds that also roost in cavities.

The interior of the BestNest nesting-roosting box shows the perches installed for birds to perch on when it is converted to a roost box.
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In this episode of the award-winning “Wildtalk” podcast, guest host Caleb Eckloff and co-host Eric Hilliard discuss commercial forest lands, the duck hunting regulations process and experiences from year two of the U.P. moose project.

Don’t forget to participate in the wildlife quiz part of the show for a chance to win a “Wildtalk” podcast camp mug. The deadline for submission is Mar. 15, so don’t delay. These mugs are exclusive and not available for purchase, so be sure to listen and submit your answer via email to DNR-Wildlife@Michigan.gov with the subject line “Mug me.” Keep an ear out for the April episode, when we will announce the lucky winners.

If you have a general question about wildlife or hunting, record a voice memo on your phone and email it to DNR-Wildlife@Michigan.gov, and we might play it on the air. Don’t worry if you make a mistake recording your audio. We’ll be sure to edit your voice memo to help you be as concise and articulate as possible with your question. Submitted questions are not guaranteed to end up on the show, but we’ll do our best to work in as many as we can.

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An inside look at recent U.P. moose capture-and-collaring effort

By ANDY HENION
Communications representative, Wildlife Division
Michigan Department of Natural Resources

It’s an unusually warm February day in the western Upper Peninsula as a collaborative team of wildlife experts works to fit a radio collar around the neck of an immobilized moose and collect blood and fecal samples from the animal. Speed and skill are crucial. Too much stress or time under anesthesia puts the 700-pound bull at risk. A separate helicopter crew from Texas-based Heliwild had flushed the moose from the Iron County woods and shot it with a tranquilizer dart, a necessary but taxing procedure for the majestic creature. The 45-degree temperature produces another risk factor for an animal whose thick, heavy coat was designed for freezing cold.

The ground team finishes its work, injects the moose with a drug that reverses sedation and backs away. After a few anxious minutes, the massive animal awakens, rises unsteadily and ambles into the thick woods. The entire process takes less than 45 minutes. “Great job everyone,” says Kristie Sitar, a veteran wildlife biologist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, as the crew exchanges high-fives. This procedure was repeated several dozen times in mid-February as some 40 people from the DNR, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, Northern Michigan University and Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians participated in an ongoing research project investigating moose survival in the Upper Peninsula. Read more

Deer Management is an initiative created by Whitetails Unlimited to help landowners who are managing their land. There are numerous ways to manage deer, and each landowner must determine their objectives and develop a plan that best suits their goals and property. These signs will serve as visible reminders to others that the area is private property being managed for deer.

Deer Management property signs are made from PVC, measuring 11.25 inches on a side, and are white with red and black printing. The signs are suitable for use anywhere in the United States.

A Deer Management booklet is also available that explains basic management styles and habitat enhancement. The booklet can be downloaded from our website, or a physical copy can be requested.

To order complimentary Deer Management signs or booklets, please call Whitetails Unlimited National Headquarters at 920.743.6777 or send an email to nh@whitetailsunlimited.com. Read more

A rare photo of a spectacularly plumaged male Green-crowned Plovercrest was taken in southeast Brazil by Sergio Gregorio.

Even if you still have snow on the ground, here’s an article to get you thinking about warmer days ahead with some information about how to transform your garden into a Hummingbird Haven. And if you are a Sunbelt birder, you can start planning and planting a hummingbird garden today. But first, we wanted to introduce you to a stunning example of the 363 different species of hummingbirds found in the Americas – a Green-crowned Plovercrest. Endemic to Brazil, Green-crowned Plovercrests are found in the Atlantic Forest of southeast Brazil.

Shared with us by the International Hummingbird Society, the photograph of this male Green-crowned Plovercrest was taken by Sergio Gregorio, who pointed out that this hummingbird species “holds a special place in my heart because it symbolizes the resilience and splendor of Brazilian nature.”

A theme of the International Hummingbird Society is that seemingly small efforts can make a big difference, such as planting flowering plants that hummingbirds prefer along with maintaining clean, healthy feeders with sugar-water nectar. Read more

Because large natural cavities are in limited supply, Wood Ducks and other large cavity nesting birds have benefitted as populations and a species by birders who have provided big nest boxes.

There is probably no greater level of nest box excitement than when you are successful in attracting a small owl, kestrel, or duck to a Big Nest Box on your property or a nearby location. Imagine the thrill of attracting larger cavity nesting birds, like a pair of colorful Wood Ducks or impressive Hooded Mergansers – or screech owls or a pair of American Kestrels – all exceptional birds that anyone would be thrilled to assist by providing a sturdy, safe, and dependable nest site. Adding a big nest box to the local environment is very positive way of joining in a true conservation effort because you will help cavity nesting birds during the most important part of their life cycle – the nesting season – by ensuring there is another safe nesting site available each spring.

Installing a single big nest box is not an overpowering effort for most birders, but when birders across a state or around our nation make that effort, it can make a huge difference to birds looking for a nesting cavity each spring – especially considering the short supply of suitable large natural nesting cavities. Read more