For Immediate UseContact: Pete DeSimone
January 26, 2009(323) 951-9620

Bird enthusiasts from as far as the Netherlands have written in to say that they’re watching a Barn Owl nest live on the Internet.

Trabuco Canyon, CA – When Pete DeSimone first set up a few webcams around the Audubon Starr Ranch Sanctuary a few years ago, he thought it would be an interesting way to monitor some of the birds and wildlife – such as Barn Owls and Red-Shouldered Hawks – that inhabit that 4,000-acre property. What he didn’t expect was that his webcams would tap into a global craze of wildlife-watching over the Internet.

In the last year, the webcams have gotten thousands of pagviews, and a woman from the Netherlands just emailed him this week to let him know that a pair of Barn Owls had just laid their second egg.

“The explosion of interest in our Barn Owls has really been amazing,” said DeSimone, manager of the Audubon Starr Ranch Sanctuary. “I get email from all around the country and across the ocean. These folks love to spend hours watching these live feeds.  It’s great!”

The webcams tend to be seasonal, with the best viewing beginning in January and running through the summer. The Barn Owl webcam can be viewed now at www.starrranch.org. In a couple of months, according to DeSimone, other webcams observing Red-Shouldered Hawk and Black-chinned Hummingbird nests should also go live.

For many viewers, the webcams offer the chance to observe wildlife from the comfort of their own home.

“It is sometimes mesmerizing to watch the antics of the owls throughout the night,” said Dave Skinner, a regular volunteer at Starr Ranch. “You never really know what you are going to see next.”

About the Audubon Starr Ranch Sanctuary 
The Audubon Starr Ranch Sanctuary is a 4,000 acre natural preserve and research facility located next to Dove Canyon and Coto de Caza in Southern Orange County.

More information is available at www.ca.audubon.org.

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