Athena's owlets are hatching, so what's next for them?

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AUSTIN (KXAN) — It’s been a month of egg watch 2025 for Athena the owl and now her eggs are hatching at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. The first owlet broke out of its shell on Wednesday, marking its journey into this world.

For years, Athena has made her nest at the southwest Austin center and thanks to our partnership with the center and Cornell Lab, we have been able to see every moment this year.

According to Benjamin Walters, project manager with Cornell Lab Bird Cams, the owlets are helpless for their first few weeks.

“(Athena) will be there making sure they’re fed and warm, tearing up little bits of prey that the male delivers to feed them in their little open bills.”

After two weeks, the owlets are old enough to be alone for some time.

“At that point, we’ll see Athena start taking more trips away from the nest, joining her mate in her territory and hunting for food for the owlets with her mate,” Walters said.

At six weeks, the owlets will start to look more like owls with tufted feathers on their head.

“It takes about six weeks for them to really gain really good flying skills and hunting skills. During that time, they’ll be spending time with Athena and her mate within their territory as they learn those important skills for life,” Walters said.

According to Walters, the owlets will stick around through the summer and after four months the much bigger owlets will leave completely and search for their territories.

You can see their progress through the LBJ Wildflower Center and Cornell Labs Camera website.

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