Athena's owl cam captures egg cracking, owlet breaking free at Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
4
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Athena, the Great Horned Owl who nests at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, surprised owl cam viewers Wednesday by displaying a cracked egg and later the first owlet fully hatching in her nest.
According to the Wildflower Center, Athena first arrived at the nest on March 5, and by March 6, she had laid her first egg. Her second egg was laid on March 9.
Owl eggs typically take around 30 to 37 days to begin hatching—a process that usually lasts several days and not all at once.
According to the Owl Research Institute, a female Great Horned Owl typically lays anywhere from one to four eggs; however, the most common is two. Immediately after laying her first egg, they are incubated.